Wicked promotional photography                                                                Northeastern Global News

The Release of Wicked: A Story About Love and Friendship

BY ANSHIKA PRADHAN & MADELEINE BISHOP 

DECEMBER 9, 2024, 5:10 P.M.

Wicked, starring pop icon Ariana Grande and Broadway and film star Cynthia Erivo, released in theatres worldwide on November 22nd, 2024. Based on the Tony award-winning Broadway musical of the same name, which has been performed globally since 2003, the story follows Glinda the Good Witch (Grande) and Elphaba (Erivo), the Wicked Witch of the West, as they meet at Shiz University and form an unexpected friendship. 

“Wicked was such a powerful movie. The themes of friendship and the emotional scenes really stood out, especially Cynthia Erivo’s voice in ‘Defying Gravity,’ which gave me chills,” said EBHS sophomore Ananya Gupta. The entire cast delivered incredibly moving performances, according to both critics and fans, and many viewers found themselves wiping away tears during the film’s climactic moments.

“I don’t usually get emotional with movies,” said EBHS sophomore Rowan Meer. “The way both the actors and the dialogue depicted everything really brought a lot of it together and made it such an amazing experience that I wanted more of.” Even the actors felt vulnerable when it came to discussing the themes of the movie musical. During a press junket, an interviewer revealed to Erivo and Grande that many viewers were “holding space” for the lyrics of the iconic act one finale, “Defying Gravity.” While fans have since been speculating and making jokes about what it means to hold space, Erivo and Grande found the sentiment “really powerful,” as they mentioned in the interview.

Not only did the cast appear in countless interviews, the production also partnered with numerous popular brands to release merchandise. Collaborations ranged from typical products, such as makeup, clothes, and dolls, to more obscure items like color-changing mac and cheese and Stanley cups. The pink and green color coding in the products and throughout the movie even prompted viewers to dress up in the respective colors to represent the characters.

Along with the soundtrack becoming popular on all streaming platforms, the choreography has also been trending on TikTok and across the internet. Fans have been learning the dances to electrifying songs in the movie, especially “What Is this Feeling?” and “Dancing Through Life,” with even the movie’s castposting tutorials to fuel the trends.

Although the movie has already broken records for the highest grossing movie musical, the saga is not yet over. Wicked: Part Two is set to be released on November 21, 2025, and  will explore the second act of the musical to conclude Elphaba and Glinda’s stories. For EBHS students, the themes of friendship and self empowerment are not just central to the story—they feel personal. As the excitement continues to grow, many EBHS students are eagerly anticipating the release of Wicked: Part Two, hoping to see how the story will unfold and what new surprises it will bring.