Universal Pictures announced on Monday, July 1, that the much-awaited film adaptation of the Broadway musical 'Wicked' will now open in theaters on Friday, Nov. 22. This is five days earlier than the previous release date of Nov. 27 (Wednesday), the same day as Disney's 'Moana 2.'
It will now go against Paramount's 'Gladiator II,' starring Paul Mescal in Ridley Scott's follow-up to his Oscar-winning 2000 historical epic.
This is the second major date change for 'Wicked: Part One,' originally scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 25. However, Universal rescheduled the film for Thanksgiving to avoid competing with Disney's Christmas releases of 'Mufasa: The Lion King' and 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3.'
The Broadway musical 'Wicked,' which won a Tony Award, is an adaptation of Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.' The project adapts characters that originated in L. Judy Garland played Dorothy in the Oscar-winning 1939 musical 'The Wizard of Oz,' based on Frank Baum's 1900 classic 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.'
The production is based on the long-running Broadway production, which includes hits like 'Defying Gravity' and 'Popular.' Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will play Elphaba, also known as 'the Wicked Witch of the West,' and Glinda, the Good, in the film, following their unlikely friendship torn apart by external forces. Michelle Yeoh plays Shiz University headmaster Madame Morrible, while Jonathan Bailey plays Fiyero in the ensemble.
Jon M. Chu, the director of 'Crazy Rich Asians' and 'In the Heights,' is helming the two-part 'Wicked' adaptation.
"We dreamed very, very, very big for Wicked," Chu told the CinemaCon crowd when debuting footage at the Las Vegas event in April. "A magical land of sights and sounds that will astonish, and performances that will lift your spirits and occasionally break your heart."
The film is the first in a two-part series, with 'Wicked: Part Two' still slated to open in theaters the day before Thanksgiving in 2025, on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025.
