Wicked (2024)

Wicked (titled on-screen as Wicked: Part I) is a 2024 American musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. It adapts the first act of the 2003 stage musical by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, which was loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, a re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its 1939 film adaptation. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande star as Elphaba Thropp and Glinda Upland, respectively; while Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum appear in supporting roles. Set in the Land of Oz before the events of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the film explores the early relationship between Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and her schoolmate Galinda, who becomes Glinda the Good.

Universal Pictures and Marc Platt, who both produced the stage musical, announced the film adaptation in 2012. After a long development and multiple delays, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chu was hired to direct, with Erivo and Grande cast in 2021. The adaptation was split into two parts to avoid omitting plot points and further develop the characters. Principal photography on both films began in England in December 2022, was interrupted in July 2023 by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, and resumed and concluded in January 2024.

Wicked premiered at the State Theatre in Sydney on November 3, 2024, and was released in the United States on November 22. It was critically and commercially successful, grossing $758.8 million worldwide on a $150 million budget and becoming the highest-grossing Oz film, the highest-grossing musical film adaptation, and the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2024. The film was declared a pop culture phenomenon and was listed as one of the best musical films of the 21st century. Among its various accolades, Wicked earned ten nominations at the 97th Academy Awards (including Best Picture), winning Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. It also received three awards from the National Board of Review (including Best Film) and was listed among the top ten films of 2024 by the American Film Institute. The sequel, Wicked: For Good, was released on November 21, 2025.