Gosh, the pundits are back, and they have raves galore when it comes to “Wicked: For Good.” Jon M. Chu’s sequel to his 2024 blockbuster hit has been screening over the past week or so for carefully selected Oscar experts.
We Live Entertainment’s Scott Mantz is calling it a “masterpiece,” adding: “Grande is definitely coming for that Best Supporting Actress Oscar.”
I’m absolutely not saying that “Wicked” will not turn out to be a good film; I just can’t weigh in on this debate since I haven’t seen it. We’ll just have to wait for the reviews to see if this is actually an Oscar contender. My best guess is that it will probably get a Best Picture nomination, and Grande/Erivo will again be competing in the acting categories. Jon M. Chu will once again be snubbed in Best Director.
Journalist Simon Thompson is saying the film is “absolutely magical,” adding that “Chu knocks it out of the park […] an exhilarating and deeply satisfying conclusion.”
Earlier in the month, “Wicked: For Good” became Fandango’s best first-day ticket pre-seller of 2025. The film will be making boatloads of cash, and that’s great news for exhibitors who will be coming off a disastrous October, which barely gave them any blockbuster hits.
Part of the film’s advantage is logistical genius. Both installments were shot back-to-back in late 2022, giving Universal a major budget win and allowing the finale to ride the hype of last year’s film. Chu explained that while shooting, it became clear they couldn’t compress the story into a single movie without doing “real damage” to the source material.
The film stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, with Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Jeff Goldblum, and Michelle Yeoh in supporting roles. It’s an adaptation of Holzman and Schwartz’s ultra-popular Broadway musical of the same name, which draws on characters from “The Wizard of Oz.”
“Wicked: For Good” will be released on November 26, 2025.
Of course, we all know the rule: take these reactions with a grain of salt rather than treating them as gospel. Still, I will say that the film tested like gangbusters earlier this year, and Lionsgate clearly has confidence.