Wicked: For Good recently came to the cinemas on November 20, 2025. While the movie itself is long awaited, the excitement also comes from its promotion. Now the real question is: how did the press tour really help the movie stand out?
Cynthia and Ariana
As Glinda and Elphaba, these two have been a standout in the Wicked franchise. The best part is they don’t just make a great team in the movie, but they’re even stronger in real life. Grande and Erivo have constantly been seen close to each other throughout the tour, giving each other support and having so much passion for the movie.
It’s gotten to the point where they’re mainly seen together with Grande recently missing a premiere when Erivo was ill. It adds to the anticipation of the movie – we can see that it really is a team effort. Interestingly, in the movie, their interactions feel a bit condensed near the beginning, but gradually develop right until the end. It shows how important the characters’ friendship is to move the story along. In both real life and the movie, it goes to show that really no time has passed. As the audience, we get to experience this as they go along.
One Wonderful Night
The press tour wasn’t a chance to expand the two characters, but was also a great opportunity to show how strong and talented the cast is. From the beginnning, Wicked had the main message of not feeling ashamed of who you are. The modern version took this message to a different level by having such a diverse cast and implementing important themes that we didn’t notice. You really get to see that they’re not just working with each other, but bouncing off of each other.
We really got to see this happen in One Wonderful Night. This was a pre-recorded show, where the cast sang some of the songs from both the first and upcoming movie. The real chemistry came because they weren’t just singing. They added their own touches from simple dialogue to giving their all for each song. This was the height of the tour once they can finally show the audience what the movie had to offer.
The Wizard of Oz Blend
Everyone knows the classic story of Oz, where Dorothy is trying to get back to Kansas, but is that everything? A story of friendship, excitement and danger, but is there really an “evil witch” to ruin everything? Even though it wasn’t part of the press tour, it played such an important role in the movie that it’s so hard to ignore! From the trailer, you see Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Lion all going to the Wizard. It really takes you back to the original piece where everything started.
To promote the movie properly, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo even sang a duet of “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again”, sung by Barbra Streisand and the original Dorothy, Judy Garland. It helps to bring everything full circle of what Wicked really means to people.
In terms of Wicked: For Good, The Wizard of Oz acts more as a motif in the movie rather than being fully emphasised. Interestingly, we only see small cameos of Dorothy, even ones where she has her back to the audience. The most important thing of all this is that it doesn’t stray away from its premise – Glinda and Elphaba’s friendship. Instead, everything remains subtle to fully expand on the emotional aspects of the movie.
Does the movie live up to its expectations?
So, a year after the first film, does Wicked: For Good have the same impact? I can say that this movie was truly successful in what they wanted to do. So far, it has received a 7.2/10 on IMDb, but interestingly received mixed reviews for how it presents its honesty and vulnerability. It was so refreshing to see the film go outside of its comfort zone and make the audience think differently.
The lead-up to the film, with the press tour, really made it worth the wait and allowed the audience to understand the deeper levels of the story. With their chemistry and real-life friendship, Grande and Erivo really gave the audience real anticipation for something special. Fortunately, the excitement doesn’t stop there as there might be the possibility of a Wicked 3 to tie up even more loose ends. In the meantime, if you were a fan of Wicked, the musical or the movie, For Good will be perfect for you!
