Wicked: For Good review – can this Oz finale cast a spell worthy of its record-breaking box office?
- The second Wicked film storms back into Oz with a huge global opening and a promise to finish Glinda and Elphaba’s story “for good”.
- Elphaba fights corruption from the shadows while Glinda becomes the glossy public face of goodness, and propaganda does what propaganda always does.
- Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande belt their way through live-recorded songs, while the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow slip into the story almost like rumours.
- Massive practical sets, nine million tulips and ILM’s flying monkeys battle for your eyeballs in a film that really wants to justify your premium ticket.
- Between awards chatter, mixed reviews and very loud fans, is Wicked: For Good a triumphant final bow or a slightly bloated encore?
A yellow brick road paved with box office records
How big a hit are we actually talking about?
Wicked: For Good opened in cinemas on 21 November 2025, flying in almost exactly a year after Wicked: Part One left audiences mid-spell. It did not so much arrive quietly as slam the Emerald City doors off their hinges, pulling in around $147 million domestically on opening weekend and roughly $223 million worldwide. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
By the end of November it had crossed about $393 million globally, making it one of the month’s biggest box office stories and comfortably justifying Universal’s decision to split the musical into two films. It is the kind of “event cinema” that comes with special screenings, themed merchandise and the strong suspicion someone somewhere is selling glittered popcorn at a terrifying markup. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
Living in Zootopia 2’s shadow – a little
The only problem with opening big is opening right next to an even bigger animated juggernaut. Zootopia 2 muscled into the same holiday corridor and quickly stole some headlines with its record-breaking numbers, nudging Wicked: For Good into the number two spot on Thanksgiving weekend charts. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
Even so, this is hardly a flop being “banished” so much as a strong second act in a crowded month. For a PG-rated musical sequel, those figures are extremely healthy, and they almost certainly keep Oz alive in studio boardrooms for future spin-offs, prequels or inevitable sing-along rereleases.
Plot without spoilers: exile, spin and a girl with red shoes
Where we pick up after Part One
The story resumes roughly a year after Elphaba defies the Wizard and goes on the run, branded “wicked” by Madame Morrible’s propaganda machine. Glinda, meanwhile, has rebranded herself as the gleaming public face of goodness, standing on balconies, selling hope and trying not to look too closely at what the Wizard is actually doing. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
Oz is busy celebrating the opening of the Yellow Brick Road, complete with fanfare and a worrying amount of blind enthusiasm. In the background, the Gale Force hunts for Elphaba while Animals quietly weigh whether they should run, fight or pretend none of this is happening until the chorus stops.
Fiyero, Nessarose and the shadows of familiar legends
Fiyero is now Captain of the Gale Force, torn between duty, guilt and the inconvenient fact that he is still in love with a green witch everyone else wants dead. Nessarose rules Munchkinland with a grip that looks a lot like surveillance, and Boq finds himself trapped in the sort of emotionally messy situation that tends to end badly in Oz. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
Fans of the stage show will recognise key beats as the film quietly sets up the Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man, though the screen version nudges their origins into darker, more ironic territory. You do not get a giant “THIS IS IMPORTANT” caption when a certain cub roars or when metal enters the chat, but the clues are not exactly subtle either.
How spoiler-safe is it to go in?
Without spelling out every broomstick twist, Wicked: For Good takes the second act of the musical and leans into its tragic, operatic side. Expect betrayals, public shamings, a prison break and at least one moment when the wizard’s carefully arranged curtains finally stop hiding what they are supposed to hide.
Dorothy and her travelling party are present in the edges of the story rather than the centre, which is where they belong in this version. If you know the original Wizard of Oz well, the pleasure here is in seeing familiar moments reframed from the wings, like watching a classic play from backstage and realising the hero was never really the one in sparkly shoes.
Performances and songs: who steals the spotlight?
Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba – the emotional anchor
Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba is the film’s beating heart, and she knows it. Her live-recorded vocals give songs like “No Good Deed” and the new material a raw, unpolished edge that makes Elphaba feel less like an icon and more like a woman who has reached the end of her patience with polite tyranny. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
Acting-wise, she plays the character with a brittle, defensive humour that only occasionally cracks into visible vulnerability. Awards bodies have already had their eye on her since Part One, and with this performance she stays firmly in the conversation for musical or comedy lead actress races.
Ariana Grande’s Glinda – from ditzy to dangerous
Ariana Grande’s Glinda leans harder into the discomfort of being “good” in public while compromised in private. Her comic timing still sparkles in lighter moments, but the more interesting work happens when Glinda tries to convince herself that smoothing things over is as noble as blowing them up. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
Vocally, she is a powerhouse, and the chemistry between her and Erivo in duets feels more lived-in this time, less like two separate stars singing at the same camera. If the film lands any acting nominations, supporting recognition for Grande would not be a surprise, especially given the sheer cultural attention on her casting.
Supporting players and awards chatter
Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero gets more to chew on as guilt and loyalty pull him in different directions, making his transformation from charming prince to legend feel properly tragic. Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible, meanwhile, oozes icy menace as the architect of Ozian spin, the sort of press secretary who could sell you your own execution as a photo opportunity. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
Awards-wise, the film is already in the mix for categories like Best Picture – Musical or Comedy at certain ceremonies, along with nods for Erivo, Grande and the ensemble. The score and original song “No Place Like Home” have drawn specific praise, and there is serious talk about its visual effects and stunt work turning up on technical shortlists. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
Spectacle and special effects: tulips, monkeys and ILM flexing
Practical sets big enough to get lost in
Director Jon M. Chu leans hard into physical production, building huge sets rather than leaving everything to green screens. Munchkinland is surrounded by millions of real tulips, and an actual Yellow Brick Road was paved with mud and brick, meaning the cast genuinely trudged rather than pretended. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
Trains, palaces and sky-high balconies all feel obsessively detailed, which gives the film a texture you simply cannot fake. There are times when the characters look almost overwhelmed by their own environments, which works thematically for a story about trying to stay human in the middle of a giant, glittering machine.
Visual effects and musical staging
Industrial Light & Magic and Framestore handle the visual effects, stitching together practical sets and digital magic into a convincingly heightened Oz. Flying monkeys, spell effects and shifting weather around the Emerald City are all rendered with a lushness that occasionally tips into sensory overload, but that is sort of the brand here. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
Big musical numbers are staged with a camera that actually moves, sweeping through crowds and around performers instead of pinning them to the floor. When Elphaba takes to the air or Glinda steps out in full public-regalia mode, the choreography, lighting and VFX combine to make the film feel genuinely cinematic rather than just “expensive stage capture”.
Who is Wicked: For Good really for?
Fans, newcomers and bewildered partners
If you loved the stage musical or Part One, this is essentially mandatory viewing. It completes character arcs, pays off setups and finally slots the Wicked timeline neatly into the wider Wizard of Oz story in a way that rewards obsessive fans without completely losing casual viewers.
Newcomers can follow the broad strokes, but they will miss some emotional weight and callbacks, so dragging a first-timer along on a double-feature might be the kinder option. Partners who have been forcibly “invited” by enthusiastic fans should at least find enough spectacle, humour and political bite to keep them awake between power ballads.
Age range and tolerance levels
Tonally, Wicked: For Good is darker than its predecessor, with more intense emotional confrontations and a couple of moments that flirt with genuine horror imagery. It stays firmly in PG territory, but younger children may find some scenes unsettling, especially when the propaganda machine really gets going.
For teens, adults and anyone who grew up with the musical on repeat, the combination of nostalgia and updated spectacle is likely to land. If your tolerance for characters singing their feelings is low or you think Oz peaked in 1939, however, this may feel like two and a half hours of very polished overkill.
Verdict: is Wicked: For Good worth your ticket?
Final thoughts and who should prioritise it
Wicked: For Good is not a subtle film, but it is a confident and often thrilling conclusion to a two-part adaptation that could easily have gone very wrong. It leans into melodrama, lets its leads actually act through sung dialogue and gives Oz a sense of scale and detail that rewards the big-screen experience.
The pacing occasionally sags, and some critics have found the tone a little self-conscious or overstuffed compared to Part One. Yet when the film clicks, it delivers exactly what fans were promised years ago: an emotionally charged, visually extravagant final chapter that reframes one of pop culture’s most famous witches as something more than a green punchline. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}
If you care about Wicked, musicals or seeing Grande and Erivo tear through these songs with full cinematic backing, it deserves a high spot on your watchlist. Everyone else can treat it as a lavish, occasionally messy but often electrifying fantasy epic that knows you might be crying and rolling your eyes at the same time.