‘Everything Cinema Should Be’: Wicked Has Screened, And People Can’t Stop Talking About Ariana Grande And Cynthia Erivo
First reactions are in!
There can be no overstating how excited fans are for Part 1 of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked to hit the 2024 movie calendar. The countdown is on for the November 22 release of the musical, which was first adapted from the book by Gregory Maguire into a beloved Broadway musical — winning three of the 10 Tony Awards it was nominated for in 2004 and a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album — before now being turned into this two-part movie event. Some have had the opportunity to screen the film early, and the first reactions are likely to boost fans’ expectations even more.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo lead the cast of Wicked as witches Galinda (later Glinda) and Elphaba, and their performances have already won the overwhelming approval of OG Glinda Kristin Chenoweth. The critics seem to agree that the actresses are simply magic on the big screen, as Clayton Davis of Variety writes on X (Twitter):
In fact, the way Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande embody their characters has people already thinking about the Oscars. Moviegoer pacificsouI is blown away, saying:
Entertainment outlet Atom agrees wholeheartedly, calling Wicked – Part 1 one of the best musicals ever for its emotion, humor and adventure. In a social media thread, they write:
The site even goes on to say that the upcoming musical has the ability to bring in new fans while still staying faithful to the source material. That’s got to be good news for fans like Jazz Tangcay of Variety, who had reservations about the project due to her love for both Wicked and The Wizard of Oz. However, after the screening, the critic says:
Scott Menzel writes that Wicked is one of the very best big screen adaptations of a Broadway musical ever. Strong words, and the critic continues:
Drew Taylor of The Wrap has only the smallest of critiques but overall was left anticipating Part 2, which is set for a Christmas Day release on the 2025 movie calendar. Taylor says:
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If the first reactions are any indication, Wicked fans are in for quite the treat come November 22. So get ready to grab a gorgeous bucket of popcorn (as weird as that sounds) and get ready for some witchy fun with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.