***** WICKED (2024 film) thread *****

2,597 Views | 58 Replies | Last: 11 min ago by AJ02
The Porkchop Express
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Since there wasn't an "official" thread thought I would start one. We went to see it in Orlando before our flight home yesterday. Wife & I saw the musical on Broadway in 2010 and in Htown a few years later.

Everybody (me, wife, two 12 year old daughters) blow away by it. Neither daughter knew the story and have only seen the Wizard of Oz piecemeal but know the story, although not entirely knowledgeable that the Wizard is a fraud.

The ending number (no sheet, sherlock) is incredibly captured. As the revolutionary as the effects are in the musical, the director of his movie knew exactly how to really blow the audience away with the visuals to match the audio. Read on the IMDB that the "Defying Gravity" that's in the movie is the live-sung version Cynthia Erivo while filming the climax, and that she and Ariana Grande sang full force in every take of every scene to keep it authentic.

As I mentioned n the other thread, Ariana Grande is incredible, comedic timing like a seasoned actor and crushing high notes that I didn't think exist.

Erivo very good as well and just an incredible voice.

The dude from Bridgerton who plays Fyero was also great. I've never seen that show, so never seen him before, but his number in the library with the turning clocks was probably my 2nd favorite part of the movie.

Feels like this movie is going to get a ton of Oscar nominations and at least several technical wins for costumes and set design and such.

Strategy to open the week before Thanksgiving is looking absolutely brilliant right now. It made $112 million opening weekend with a high of $46m on the Thursday/Friday combo. It made $20.4m on the day before Thanksgiving, $16.9m on Turkey Day, and a staggering $32m on black Friday to reach $214m in 8 days.

Staff - if you could keep an eye on this thread and not let it veer off into non-discussion of the film, particularly by people who obviously didn't see it, muchas gracias.
TXAG 05
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Went to see it the other night, thought it was great and they did a good job of adapting the stage show to the big screen.
AggieBarstool
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I'm looking forward to seeing this on date night with the Mrs.!
Quad Dog
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Glad you liked it. I've seen the musical a while ago and don't remember loving it. I didn't care to see it, but the wife does which means we are going tomorrow.

The main thing that made me question the movie is that it is a 2.5 hour movie based on a 2.5 hour musical, but the movie is only part 1. Good to see that wasn't an issue.
Moral High Horse
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Critical drinker even liked it
aglaohfour
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I have a strong aversion to anything WoOz related. So I've never seen the musical or listened to the soundtrack. Intended to send my kiddo to see the film with friends because she's a theater kid and was dying to see it. Then the Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo press tour was everywhere I looked and they are just so damn charming together, that I figured I'd give it a shot.

We saw it this morning, and I really loved it. Only had one moment that "triggered" my WoOz ptsd lol. The visuals are stunningly beautiful, and Erivo's vocals are unreal. It was long, but I didn't feel that it dragged at any point. Looking forward to part 2, might even see the stage show next time I'm in NYC.
GoAgs92
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Wife said the play was meh.

Which is good cuz I have no desire to see this thing.
rsf0626
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Not really a musical fan and i thought it was incredible. Gonna get a ton of oscar nominations
rsf0626
EclipseAg
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I saw it.

I've got nothing against musicals. But this one just wasn't my thing. Maybe the press tour weirdness of Erivo and Grande -- who are obviously great singers -- ruined it for me? I don't know.

I also struggle with prequels of shows that are etched in my mind from repeated viewings. It's pretty clear the Elphaba in this version doesn't become the Wicked Witch of the West that I know. That's always tough for me to get past.

I had the same problem with "Wonka." The gap between Wilder's Wonka and Chalamet's Wonka was too big for me to close mentally.

I realize this isn't an issue with younger viewers who aren't familiar with the older versions. I'm not the target audience and that's okay.
The Porkchop Express
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How old are you? The musical has been out for 21 years and most of the people in our theater were easily 30s to 60s.
EclipseAg
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The Porkchop Express said:

How old are you? The musical has been out for 21 years and most of the people in our theater were easily 30s to 60s.
I'm 117.

Never saw the musical. So I had no frame of reference for it other than "The Wizard of Oz."

swimmerbabe11
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I find the Grande and Ervivo press tour deeply unsettling. It feels like a caricature of the worst theatre kids you knew in college. (source: was a theatre kid)

I haven't seen it yet and I really want to wait until its released to streaming. It seems like a hot cocoa heated blanket experience to me.
Decay
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I enjoyed Wicked but the press tour has kinda turned us off from catching this. Maybe we just need to give it a shot.
Definitely Not A Cop
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https://instagr.am/p/DC94TRdSruv
Joan Wilder
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I love musicals and saw Wicked about 15 years ago and thought it was just okay. It has the one great song, and handful of ok songs and the rest is pretty forgettable to me. Chenoweth/Menzel aren't my favorites so I was always annoyed by their version of DG.

I really enjoyed the movie. It struck just how BIG this production was - costumes, choreo, hair and makeup, sets…there were scenes with 100 characters on screen all nailing the choreo and the vibe. It reminded me of old golden age movie musicals where you'd see the whole MGM roster show up for a movie. Ariana was outstanding - her comic timing reminded me of Madeline Khan /Elle Woods mash-up at times, and Erivo's performance…what a stunning talent. She made those notes at the end of DG just seem effortless and her own.
The Porkchop Express
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Joan Wilder said:

I love musicals and saw Wicked about 15 years ago and thought it was just okay. It has the one great song, and handful of ok songs and the rest is pretty forgettable to me. Chenoweth/Menzel aren't my favorites so I was always annoyed by their version of DG.

I really enjoyed the movie. It struck just how BIG this production was - costumes, choreo, hair and makeup, sets…there were scenes with 100 characters on screen all nailing the choreo and the vibe. It reminded me of old golden age movie musicals where you'd see the whole MGM roster show up for a movie. Ariana was outstanding - her comic timing reminded me of Madeline Khan /Elle Woods mash-up at times, and Erivo's performance…what a stunning talent. She made those notes at the end of DG just seem effortless and her own.

Read this in variety

When Jon M. Chu was making the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical, practical sets were a must. "Wicked's" grand production shot in 17 stages and on four backlots, two of which were the size of four American football fields. Among the sets was Munchkinland's Munchkin Village, which was nestled among a field of tulips. And because everything was real, nine million tulips were needed.
BoydCrowder13
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Great movie. No notes. Will get a lot of Oscar buzz
The Porkchop Express
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$80million second weekend, only 29% dropoff (most movies are 40%+).
Up to $262m domestic and $359m worldwide through 9 days.
Thanksgiving skews the numbers some, but it's outlandishly outside its BO projections from opening weekend, which were a range of $185m-$247m.

Should be into the top 100 movies domestic box by Wednesday.
Already #7 for 2024 with #8 Moana 2 likely to pass it, at least in the short run. Will be an interesting battle between those two. Wicked has some Titanic energy in terms of fan base and movie length. Moana 2 will slay with kids but its reviews aren't great.


Sea Speed
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swimmerbabe11 said:

I find the Grande and Ervivo press tour deeply unsettling. It feels like a caricature of the worst theatre kids you knew in college. (source: was a theatre kid)

I haven't seen it yet and I really want to wait until its released to streaming. It seems like a hot cocoa heated blanket experience to me.



I'm not taking my kids specifically because of this therapy session media blitz.
aglaohfour
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Sea Speed said:

swimmerbabe11 said:

I find the Grande and Ervivo press tour deeply unsettling. It feels like a caricature of the worst theatre kids you knew in college. (source: was a theatre kid)

I haven't seen it yet and I really want to wait until its released to streaming. It seems like a hot cocoa heated blanket experience to me.



I'm not taking my kids specifically because of this therapy session media blitz.


I'm genuinely curious why this has bothered people so much? Not picking a fight, just surprised how many people were put off by it.

I don't usually consider myself a sappy *****, but I've really been touched by their dynamic and the interviews they've done together seem so genuinely affectionate and supportive. I actually loved it and it swayed me from definitely not going to see the movie, to going to see it.
The Porkchop Express
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I guess not having social media had me miss all of whatever this is.
Aust Ag
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BoydCrowder13 said:

Great movie. No notes. Will get a lot of Oscar buzz

Of course.
Iowaggie
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Saw it with my wife and 3 kids. I can see the reason for the mixed reviews.

I think if you have seen the Musical, you'll love it. I could see it being a tough watch for those who haven't seen the musical or just don't like musicals.

We really enjoyed it, and I'm sure my wife will grow weary of me saying, "I hope you're happy" whenever I want to blame something on her
Zombie Jon Snow
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Joan Wilder said:

I love musicals and saw Wicked about 15 years ago and thought it was just okay. It has the one great song, and handful of ok songs and the rest is pretty forgettable to me. Chenoweth/Menzel aren't my favorites so I was always annoyed by their version of DG.

I really enjoyed the movie. It struck just how BIG this production was - costumes, choreo, hair and makeup, sets…there were scenes with 100 characters on screen all nailing the choreo and the vibe. It reminded me of old golden age movie musicals where you'd see the whole MGM roster show up for a movie. Ariana was outstanding - her comic timing reminded me of Madeline Khan /Elle Woods mash-up at times, and Erivo's performance…what a stunning talent. She made those notes at the end of DG just seem effortless and her own.

^agree with a lot of this but I was more of a fan of the broadway version to begin with.

Saw it on Broadway too in 2004 or so. Loved it as a musical and Idina and Kristin were amazing.

Was very nervous about this film. Hollywood just sometimes Fs up musicals. I can count the really good film adaptations of musicals on one or two hands. And I wasn't convinced Ariana had the acting chops. Erivo we had seen before on stage in Color Purple and she was amazing. I knew she had the skill set for this role.

The production, cinematography, make-up, sets, costumes, etc. all were perfection really and made this bigger than any stage production ever could be of course but they also did it right. Not just Hollywooded.

The choreography was one thing that blew me away and the staging of numbers in a grander way than on stage. But it also added to it all.

The vocal parts, no surprise, were beyond compare. Simply amazing.

And I hand it to Ariana. If anything I came away more impressed with her than anyone. Not that she was better than Erivo but I guess because my expectations were low. Her comedic timing was impeccable. And somehow her blank stare played the character well. She literally looks like a doe in headlights but it worked well and I am convinced it wasn't just a dumb blond being herself. Somehow with Kristin you always knew she was smarter than that and just playing dumb blond if that makes sense. A stage veteran playing a part really well. With Ariana she appears much dumber than she is and it works in a weird way. But this combined with her many impersonations and SNL bits I'm starting to think he is a quiet genius. Her popular number was perfection. And I did not think anyone could match Kristins version.

And Erivo absolutely killed the emotional impact and vocal element of the finale for this first act. I think she is better than Idina and that says a lot.

Easily the best musical on film in at least 50 years. Better than Chicago which I loved. Better than Hairspray, Grease, All That Jazz, Moulin Rouge, La La Land, Beauty and the Beast. It's up there with the classics from the Golden Era or musicals. Is it top 10..... probably. I gotta see it again and see how it persists.

These are AFI's top musicals..... for me it likely slips ins somewhere between 5-10 right now but TBD....

1 Singin' in the Rain 1952
2 West Side Story 1961
3 The Wizard of Oz 1939
4 The Sound of Music 1965
5 Cabaret 1972
6 Mary Poppins 1964
7 A Star Is Born 1954
8 My Fair Lady 1964
9 An American in Paris 1951
10 Meet Me in St. Louis 1944
11 The King and I 1956
12 Chicago 2002
13 All That Jazz 1979



EclipseAg
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aglaohfour said:

Sea Speed said:

swimmerbabe11 said:

I find the Grande and Ervivo press tour deeply unsettling. It feels like a caricature of the worst theatre kids you knew in college. (source: was a theatre kid)

I haven't seen it yet and I really want to wait until its released to streaming. It seems like a hot cocoa heated blanket experience to me.



I'm not taking my kids specifically because of this therapy session media blitz.


I'm genuinely curious why this has bothered people so much? Not picking a fight, just surprised how many people were put off by it.


For me, it was a combination of weird visual vibes -- the finger holding, the emaciated bodies, those nails, the clothing, etc. -- and the frequent overemoting about the importance of the movie and their roles in it.

Hard to put into words but it was unnerving to a lot of people.

Honestly, it feels like the national zeitgeist is shifting and these two didn't seem to get the memo. And I don't mean that in a political way.
The Porkchop Express
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Where were you seeing all of it? I haven't heard of any of this
Decay
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The Porkchop Express said:

Where were you seeing all of it? I haven't heard of any of this
The lead actress went online and blasted a fan for making an edit of the movie poster to match the Broadway poster. She went off on a huge rant that it erases her identity to lower the brim of a hat. My wife told me about it since she follows a lot of shows and singers on social media.

That's before the whole press tour thing. It's pretentious Hollywood stuff and super offputting if you see any of it. They look like gay skeletons high on X.
EclipseAg
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The Porkchop Express said:

Where were you seeing all of it? I haven't heard of any of this
Here's a good summary:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2024/11/26/wicked-ariana-grande-and-cynthia-erivos-holding-space-meme-explained/
The Porkchop Express
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I guess this is just me not doing social media.
The Porkchop Express
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EclipseAg said:

The Porkchop Express said:

Where were you seeing all of it? I haven't heard of any of this
Here's a good summary:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2024/11/26/wicked-ariana-grande-and-cynthia-erivos-holding-space-meme-explained/
Thanks, the finger holding is definitely an odd thing to see. Although some of their weirdness has to be chalked up to the nonstop press junket. A Broadway star like CE probably doesn't do as many interviews in 5 years as she did the last 2 months.
Sea Speed
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There's at least 3 or 4 other videos where they all cry and go on about their feelings and hold hands and it's all weird as hell.
The Porkchop Express
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Sea Speed said:

There's at least 3 or 4 other videos where they all cry and go on about their feelings and hold hands and it's all weird as hell.
Well I really loved the film, so probably no real reason to watch those and lower my opinion of them after the fact!
Zombie Jon Snow
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Decay said:

The Porkchop Express said:

Where were you seeing all of it? I haven't heard of any of this
The lead actress went online and blasted a fan for making an edit of the movie poster to match the Broadway poster. She went off on a huge rant that it erases her identity to lower the brim of a hat. My wife told me about it since she follows a lot of shows and singers on social media.

That's before the whole press tour thing. It's pretentious Hollywood stuff and super offputting if you see any of it. They look like gay skeletons high on X.

I would disagree completely with it being hollywood stuff.

Neither Erivo nor Grande are "hollywood". If anything I chalk it up to weird theater crowd eccentricities.

And the earlier comment about over emoting about the importnce of this film - well I think again this is the broadway perception not the hollywood perception. It is actually hard to overstate the importance of this movie for musicals in terms of broadway which has been suffering tremendously since pandemic and never really bounced back the way it was. So I think for that reason it is very important within that community.

the regular movie going crowd would not have that perspective and I can see how it might come across as a little bizarre. Theater people are also just weird - I say this as a proud parent of a theater kid who went to NYC to study theater and acting at NYU and has been a casualty if you will of what pandemic did to the industry.


Decay
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I thought Erivo kinda dissed the theater community in general when she blasted the fanmade poster. Wicked's poster is iconic and ridiculing someone trying to put her into that is basically saying that she's bigger than the Broadway show. That didn't strike me as someone who's in touch with their theater side.

You are right though... these are normal antics for the terminally "artistic". Maybe it's less about Hollywood and more about being complete divas.
CDub06
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EclipseAg said:

The Porkchop Express said:

Where were you seeing all of it? I haven't heard of any of this
Here's a good summary:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2024/11/26/wicked-ariana-grande-and-cynthia-erivos-holding-space-meme-explained/
wow. thanks for sharing this. I missed this as well.

That is such an uncomfortable clip...
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