By and large, movie musicals are a tried and true genre that's capable of performing at the box office, and even winning Best Picture Oscars. Following the release of Mean Girls (see our review here), the next highly anticipated addition to the genre will be Jon M. Chu's pair of Wicked movies. The first trailer for Wicked finally arrived during the Super Bowl, but some fans are confused about Part Two footage seemingly being included. Let's break it all down.
What we know about Wicked is limited, but Chu made the decision to make two different movies, which should allow for an accurate adaptation of the stage musical. But after the trailer debuted, folks on Twitter sounded off, confused by footage shown that should presumably be in Part Two. The inclusion of Dorothy was particularly puzzling, as one fan shared:
Ok processing now and WHY IS DOROTHY IN WICKED PART 1!?! pic.twitter.com/btoq12cZCsFebruary 12, 2024
This is a fair point. In the Wicked musical, Dorothy doesn't actually physically appear, although her offstage arrival happens fairly late into Act 2. As such, she and the rest of her Wizard of Oz pals weren't expected to show up until the second Wicked movie. So does the trailer include footage from both movies, or is Jon M. Chu switching things up for his adaptation? Only time will tell.
Hardcore Broadway fans like myself were thrilled to learn that Wicked would be two movies, presumably meaning that every one of Stephen Schwartz' beloved songs would be safe from being cut. Some moviegoers wanted just one film, and the trailer seemed to cast some confusion. As another person tweeted:
ok wait everything just says wicked ….. and dorothy is definitely an act 2 plot point … am i getting my hopes up that they decided to just do one movie after all (yes)
The cast list of Wicked is stacked, especially Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda respectively. Fans are eager to see their dynamic play out on the big screen, especially since they're both Broadway veterans who have strong relationships to the source material. And it seems they developed a very strong bond throughout the filming process across the pond.
Another bit of footage from the Wicked movie that puzzled people is Glinda in a wedding dress. This is also typically an Act 2 plot point, where she and Fiyero are preparing to get married. As one person tweeted:
The wedding scene for Part Two! 🫠 pic.twitter.com/fS9n4FVJiZFebruary 12, 2024
Clearly the first footage from Wicked got people talking, especially since the teaser was presented early on during the Super Bowl telecast. They say any publicity is good publicity, and it should be interesting to see how this chatter translates to the box office. Especially since we're getting another Barbenheimer moment when Wicked and Moana 2 release on the same weekend.
Wicked: Part One will hit theaters on November 27th. Check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
