The arrival of one of 2024’s most anticipated movies took place on Nov. 22, 2024: Universal Pictures’ “Wicked.” After having made many appearances on social media, even appearing on cardboard popcorn tubs in theaters, fans of musicals and the Land of Oz were more than ready for the long-awaited film.
The story was originally published as a novel, written by Gregory Maguire in 1995. In 2003, it was discovered and turned into a musical by producers Marc Platt and David Stone, writer Winnie Holzman and composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz.
Following the story of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, everyone’s favorite enchantress, “Wicked” is a story that takes place before L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Elphaba, the main character, born with green skin and strange supernatural powers is a social reject because of her conditions. After accidentally revealing her power at the prestigious Shiz University, Elphaba’s potential is shown to the mistress, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). As fate would have it, she is moved into a dorm with Glinda, a rude, condescending and rather arrogant young enchantress. Once several weeks of constant fighting and hating each other pass, the two begin to see that there is more to the other than meets the eye and become the most unexpected of friends. Part one of the story takes many twists and turns, ending somewhat tragically.
As of Dec. 3, 2024, “Wicked” “made more than $300 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Broadway musical adaptation of all time,” according to CBS News. However, this success would not have been possible without several years of hard work.
Madison Fishman, an Assistant in the Global Publicity Department at Universal Pictures gives her thoughts on this:
“Working on Wicked was a dream come true! It really stood out amongst some of the other titles I have worked on since the story has always been so special to me and so many other people. However, at the same time, it was the hardest [title] I have worked on due to the extensiveness of the campaign, constant talent movement, and a cast filled with so many amazing, A-List stars. The film was a very high-stakes one, but it ended up delivering in all aspects.”
Fishman went on to explain one of her favorite parts of the film-making process, “This cast really loves each other and it was apparent in everything we did. It made [it all] feel so special. They were also all…really kind [and] lovely to work with,” she said, “I learned so much about press, talent, awards and even about myself [while] working on this film.”
The record-breaking musical earned a total of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, 9/10 on Screen Rant and 8.1/10 on IMDb. Since its release, over 63 million people have seen it in theaters around the world. While the numbers are great, many reviewers seem to have conflicting opinions.
A review post from the radio station K92.3 positively concludes that, “was everything fans of the stage musical could want and more. It honored its theatrical source material while creating a beautiful new piece of media that will be enjoyed for years to come.”
On the flip side of things, “Wicked” received criticism for the weak lessons portrayed in the film. According to a review written by Stephanie Zacharek for Time, it was, “tempting to interpret Wicked as a wise civics lesson, a fable for our times, but its ideas are so slippery, so readily adaptable to even the most blinkered political views, that they have no real value.”
Of course, any heavily-promoted movie will get lots of attention and therefore many perspectives from a wide variety of people. As an experienced worker in the industry, Fishman states that she is “also okay” when reviews aren’t as positive as she would have liked.
“[I]t has been a very long road,” Fishman concludes, “I am really grateful to have touched this movie and am extremely excited to work on Part 2. I have built so many great relationships with talent teams outside of Universal due to the many long hours spent on this title, all of which I am excited to continue into the awards season [and] second part of the film.”
