Jon M. Chu’s Wicked is a reported $200 million budget that finally gives the 2003 stage show the full-budget treatment it has always deserved. It is not subtle. It is not restrained. It is a theatrical, often glorious mess that mostly earns its ambition.
The film opens on Glinda the Good returning to Munchkinland to mourn the Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda explains that the Witch was born of an affair between Governor Thropp’s wife Melena and a mysterious salesman who gave her a green elixir. That setup sends the story back to Shiz University, where green-skinned Elphaba Thropp arrives to escort her younger sister Nessarose, who is paraplegic, on her first day. Elphaba clashes with the popular Galinda Upland, who wants to study under Dean of Sorcery Studies Madame Morrible. Dr. Dillamond, a talking goat and one of Shiz’s last Animal professors, leads Elphaba to a meeting where Animals are losing their ability to speak.
Trailer, via Universal Pictures.
The Numbers Behind the Film
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Running time | 162 minutes |
| Production budget | reported $200 million |
| Release date US | November 22, 2024 |
| Critic score | 7.3/10 |
The film’s DNA is stage musical. It was announced back in 2012, produced by the stage team, and split into two parts to avoid cutting any plot threads. Principal photography began in December 2022 in England, was interrupted by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, and wrapped in January 2024. It premiered in Sydney on November 3, 2024, before landing in the US on November 22.
The Cast and the Cameos
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande star as Elphaba and Glinda. Jonathan Bailey plays Fiyero Tigelaar. Ethan Slater is Boq Woodsman. Michelle Yeoh is Madame Morrible. Peter Dinklage voices Dr. Dillamond. Jeff Goldblum is the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Ariana Grande initially auditioned for Elphaba due to a miscommunication, then took Glinda.
The “One Short Day” sequence is where the film really earns its budget. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, the original Broadway Elphaba and Glinda, appear as the Emerald City Players. Michael McCorry Rose, who played Fiyero on Broadway, is the Wiz-O-Mania narrator. Composer Stephen Schwartz is the Emerald City Guard. Winnie Holzman, who wrote both the stage musical and the film, appears as an audience member who exclaims, “He can read it! He must be a Wizard!” — a line that lands as pure camp.
Chu’s direction is theatrical without being alienating. The dance numbers are big, the costumes are bold, and the film never apologizes for being a musical. Grande’s Glinda is a little too broad at times, but Erivo’s Elphaba carries the emotional weight. The Animals losing their speech is a heavy subplot, and Elphaba’s bond with Dr. Dillamond gives it real stakes.
“He can read it! He must be a Wizard!”
The film’s weakest stretch is the middle, where the plot slows to let the songs breathe. Some numbers feel padded, and the pacing sags slightly before the final act picks back up. The Ozdust Ballroom party sequence is a highlight, but it also shows how much material was cut from the stage show and the two-part film plan.
Wicked is not perfect. It is too long in spots, and the musical numbers occasionally strain against the story’s weight. But the performances are strong, the production is immense, and the film commits entirely to its source’s world. It is a flawed but thrilling adaptation of a beloved stage show.
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