Just like its first installment, Wicked: For Good has taken the box office by storm. Since November 2024, audiences have been anticipating the release of the sequel to this breathtaking phenomenon, with Wicked making over 470 million domestically and over 750 million worldwide.This movie alone has flooded the box office across the globe. The sequel released in 2025 has made over 290 million domestically and a little over 440 million worldwide. Both movies have been critically acclaimed, with the former scoring multiple Academy Award nominations.
Co-stars Ariana Grande (Glinda) and Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) were proud to have their hard work be shown to the public.
“We love the work we do, and I love the work that [Ariana Grande] does, and we have a deep respect for who we are as people first, before who we are as performers,” Erivo said in an interview for NBC.
Erivo also attributed the success of the two films to the respect she and Grande have for one another.
“I think that allows us to make the space for us to be the best that we can be,” she said.
In an interview on Entertainment Weekly director Jon M. Chu explained how much the sequel has changed after the release of the first movie: “Originally crafting an explicit recap of events from the first movie in case For Good viewers forgot or hadn’t seen Elphaba defy gravity. It was very clear that wasn’t necessary.” Chu knew that the ending of the first movie was too unforgettable to viewers and that the finale would stick with the audience until the next movie, so they did not have to give the audience a recap in the sequel.
The reason for the split of the two movies is that the script was too long to fit into one single movie. The split gives much deeper and more nuanced insight into the characters’ origins. The first installment of the film homes in on Elphaba’s origin story, whereas the second homes in on Glinda’s. The result is a full psychological portrait of the two characters who are otherwise one-dimensional in The Wizard of Oz—in which Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) epitomizes sheer evil, and Glinda (the Good Witch) epitomizes sheer goodness.
“What’s wonderful about the show is that you get an insight into why this woman becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, but you have only three hours to do it in; with us, you have two movies,” Erivo said in the aforementioned Entertainment Weekly interview.
The film has proved successful with fans of the story, and its ties to Fort Hamilton have extended beyond the drama academy. Since 2023, Wicked has been studied in freshman year honors English classes at Fort Hamilton. The school additionally organized a Community Cinema PTA event for the students to experience the movie alongside their classmates at Alpine Cinemas.
The release of Wicked: For Good has captivated audiences worldwide, proving that the magic of this story continues to resonate. Fans and newcomers alike have celebrated the film’s deeper exploration of the characters, the powerful performances of Grande and Erivo, and the unforgettable moments that made the first movie a phenomenon. The sequel not only lived up to expectations but also solidified Wicked’s place as a cultural sensation that fans will cherish for years to come.
