Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Wicked is just a few days away, which means that the critic’s reviews of the movie are starting to roll in.
The musical’s been borderline inescapable, thanks to a nearly year-long press tour, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s red carpet method dressing, and just the right amount of headline-grabbing drama to keep it living rent-free in everyone’s minds.
It doesn’t hurt that this movie musical is born from a Broadway classic that’s been enchanting audiences for nearly two decades. Wicked is the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history.
Theater buffs, Arianators (her fan base), and casual moviegoers alike are flocking to the Land of Oz, turning the audience score into a surprisingly unanimous standing ovation.
Wicked Scores High with the Audience
With an impressive 99% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, Wicked has the potential to follow Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine in becoming the third film of 2024 to soar past the $1 billion milestone at the box office. Critics are just as enchanted, with the film earning a stellar 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, cementing Wicked as both a fan and critical favorite.
Despite being generally well received, some common threads emerge among its criticisms. Critics agree that while Wicked delivers a dazzling big-budget spectacle sure to draw global audiences, its reliance on CGI and unwavering loyalty to the source material dampen the magic of Oz.
Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri writes in his review that Wicked’s spectacle is “often shallow” and does not “inspire curiosity about this world.”
IndieWire’s Kate Erbland echoes Ebiri, critiquing Wicked as surface-level, a consequence of splitting the story into two parts. “Just as Wicked starts hitting its highest notes, it’s over,” she writes.
Both critics, however, admit they aren’t the biggest fans of the film’s musical numbers. While musicals aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, fans of the genre may find Wicked far more enchanting than these reviewers did.
Related: These 5 Movie-Based Broadways Shows Would Make Great Films
Could Influencers Skew Audiences’ Opinions?
But there might a logical reasons behind the already-high audience score.
If you’re chronically online like me, you probably noticed the flood of influencers at the Wicked premiere in Los Angeles on November 9.
From Harry Daniels serenading Grande to Yasmine Sahid painting herself green à la Erivo’s character Elphaba, influencers were everywhere, documenting their Wicked experiences in full force.
And it wasn’t just one TikTok highlighting their experience. Many of the more notable TikTokers like Daniels and Sahid were posting two to four TikToks dedicated to the movie’s premiere, keeping it fresh in the goldfish minds of the current moviegoing generation.
Since the movie hasn’t officially hit theaters yet, most of the audience reviews come from those lucky enough to attend early screenings. A more accurate audience score will likely emerge on Monday, once the film takes over the box office this weekend.
As Wicked lands in theaters on November 22, these impressive scores could shift dramatically as audiences worldwide immerse themselves in the first chapter of this iconic Oz tale.
In the meantime, let Wicked shatter your expectations of what a movie musical can be, and revel in the incredible performances from some of the most talented voices in the industry.
Related: Ariana Grande Isn’t the Gilda We Need—Amanda Seyfried Is
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