‘Wicked’ Reviews: Are Critics Wowed By Cynthia Erivo And Ariana Grande Musical?

Wicked—the movie adaptation of the classic Broadway musical starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande—is winning over critics.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, the hotly anticipated movie musical is based on the 2003 Broadway show that examines the origin of Elphaba—the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz—and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.

Part one of Wicked plays in Thursday previews before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday, while Wicked: Part Two is set for a November 21, 2025, release.

The official logline for Wicked reads, “Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Glinda, a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads.”

Idina Menzel starred as Elphaba in the Broadway musical while Kristen Chenoweth starred as Glinda. Erivo and Grande star as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, for the new movie version of Wicked.

Jeff Goldblum plays The Wizard in Wicked, which was originated by Joel Grey on Broadway; while Jonathan Bailey plays Fiyero, played by Norbert Leo Butz on the New York City stage. Michelle Yeoh stars as Madame Morrible, while the late Carole Shelley originated the Broadway role.

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Rotten Tomatoes critics have collectively given Wicked a 96% “fresh” rating based on 46 reviews so far.

Even though Wicked has only been seen by audiences in advanced promotional screenings, the film alreay has a 99% “fresh” RT Audience Score based on 2,500-plus verified user ratings.

What Are Individual Critics Saying About Wicked?

Among the RT critics giving Wicked a “fresh” rating Rolling Stone’s David Fear, who writes, “When [Cynthia] Erivo nails the moment and rides into Oz’s history books on a broomstick, for a split second you feel like there’s no place you’d rater bee than riding alongside here. Not even home.”

Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post however, takes a shot at the film’s 2 hour, 41 minute runtime in his “rotten” review of Wicked.

Oleksinski writes, “Who can say if Wicked has been changed for the better? I do believe it has been changed for the longer.”

Rated PG, Wicked plays in Thursday previews before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday. Wicked: Part Two is set for a November 21, 2025, release.

Note: This article will be updated with more critics’ reviews of Wicked as they become available.