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Credit: Inside the MagicReports surfaced yesterday (December 5) that Wicked–or Wicked: Part One–had been banned two weeks following its record-breaking release. Here’s the latest.
Wicked isn’t just a musical—it’s a phenomenon that has reshaped Broadway and enchanted audiences worldwide since it first took flight on October 30, 2003, at the Gershwin Theatre.
With a spellbinding score by the legendary Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman (who both returned to their respective roles for the new movie), the show dives deep into the untold story of Oz’s most misunderstood figures: Elphaba (a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda (the Good Witch). Based on Gregory Maguire’s best-selling novel, this reimagining dares to ask: What if the Wicked Witch wasn’t so wicked after all?
When Wicked debuted, it brought together two powerhouse performers: Idina Menzel as the fiercely determined Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as the bubbly, ambitious Glinda. Their chemistry lit up the stage, and Menzel’s show-stopping performance earned her a Tony Award for Best Actress. Joel Grey’s take on the enigmatic Wizard rounded out the stellar original cast.
From”Defying Gravity” to “Popular” and the tearjerker duet “For Good,” Wicked boasts one of Broadway’s most unforgettable soundtracks.
Two decades later, Wicked is still flying high, racking up record-breaking box office numbers (last week, Wicked topped the Broadway box office with a staggering $2.9 million gross takings, per Broadway World) and winning hearts in productions all around the world.
Its impact on pop culture and the musical theater world is undeniable. So undeniable, in fact, that over 20 years since its debut on the Broadway stage, Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation finally hit screens.
The Wicked movie, starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp and Ariana Grande as Galinda Upland (of the Upper Uplands), broke box office records when it debuted on November 22. After having the biggest opening for a Broadway musical adaptation, with weekend totals coming in at $112 million (domestic) and $162 million (worldwide), Wicked’s dominance has seen it take $378 million to date on a $150 million budget.
Next year, Wicked Part Two will be released on November 21. Director Jon M. Chu will take on the second half of the musical after the first part ended with the soaring “Defying Gravity,” just like Act One of the stage show.
Erivo and Grande will return to their respective roles of Elphaba and Glinda, joined by Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard of Oz, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Ethan Slater as Boq, Bronwyn James as Shenshen, and Peter Dinklage as Doctor Dillamond.
While Wicked may have already been out for weeks in a lot of territories, it is yet to open in some. And one of those locations, Kuwait, seemingly banned the movie the day before its release. That has since been corrected.
“Wicked is now playing in cinemas in Kuwait days after it appeared to have been removed from listings on the eve of its local theatrical release,” Variety wrote. “There had been fears that the film had become the latest Hollywood import to be banned in the Gulf state, with some local media speculating that the move was prompted by the fact that Universal Pictures’ critically acclaimed musical boasts an LGBTQ cast.”
This wasn’t the first incident of a potential ban situation for the Wicked movie. User BloomLik posted to Reddit that the movie had also been banned in Qatar.
I bought 2 tickets for wicked today for vendome at 4:00pm at novo cinemas, and when I got there they said my ticket is going to be refunded because the movie got banned in all of qatar…
Shortly after, another user posted a screenshot of Novo Cinemas’ explanation for why the film was removed from listings. “There was a censorship issue, due to which we had to take the movie down,” they wrote. The movie is now live.”
Wicked was the top box office performer until Disney’s Moana 2 (2024) entered the race ahead of Thanksgiving. The Mouse House’s highly anticipated sequel dominated with a staggering $225 million domestically over the five-day release period. However, it’s not all over for Wicked. Wednesday and Thursday takings for the musical adaptation this week are ahead of Moana 2, per Deadline.
It seems that Universal Pictures’ heavy marketing blitz has worked. Over the last few months, it’s been hard not to see Wicked or its stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, on social media and TV screens. The positive critical and fan reception puts the second part on good footing ahead of its release next year.
Have you seen Wicked in theaters yet? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!