Wicked (2024)

[PurpleTentacle]

9 hours ago, SeanC said:

There was no requirement that this role be played by a black actress.

I'm sure there wasn't.

9 hours ago, SeanC said:

Erivo is a Tony Award winner and one of the more acclaimed musical actresses of her peer group.

You'd think a Tony award winner wouldn't completely tank a song, but yet it happened. Maybe that award was the reason for the bad casting afterall, I don't know. I just know the casting was bad.

[Keywestclubkid]

19 hours ago, iarwain said:

I disagree.  Not everyone pays attention to musicals, or watches TV shows

Stop, you are being disingenuous with this and we both know it..

this wasn't a bait and switch which you seem to try to be implying  ... either they are lying to you or you are just pulling my leg here..

and if you arnt paying "attention" that's like getting mad at someone for not spoon feeding you every step of the way... that's on you NOT the movie ESPECIALLY when the advertising you arnt paying attention to is TELLING you that it is what it is

 

anyway its been cool debating this point with you but im done now ... arguing that this wasn't advertised as a musical is ridiculous  at this point .. cause it was and is .. im moving on 

 

 

Edited November 26 by Keywestclubkid

[Spartan Girl]

7 minutes ago, PurpleTentacle said:

You'd think a Tony award winner wouldn't completely tank a song, but yet it happened. Maybe that award was the reason for the bad casting afterall, I don't know. I just know the casting was bad.

That’s your opinion. While I haven’t seen the movie yet (going on Wednesday) but I have listened to the film soundtrack, and I thought Cynthia did beautifully.

[PurpleTentacle]

25 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

That’s your opinion. While I haven’t seen the movie yet (going on Wednesday) but I have listened to the film soundtrack, and I thought Cynthia did beautifully.

Yes, that's my opinion and also it's correct. The wizard and I sounds bad.

It seems like Erivo can belt with the best of them, which is probably what got her the Tony (I was a bit mean with the army of sound engineers for defying gravity up thread, because I was freshly out of watching the film and was a bit miffed by her failing this great role), but the wide vocal range the wizard and I requires, she does not have.

Also it seems like nobody checked if she can actually movie-act or just stage-act. My speculation remains that the casting department and producers got too giddy at the optics and ignored some red flags in the process. But that might be completely wrong. Not like even more horrible actors and actresses haven't sliped by in other movies. Fact remains, she was wrong for this part.

Edit: Btw. you know who actually did a good version of the wizard and I, even though I prersonlly am not a big fan of the way she did it and the flourishes she used? Ariana Grande:

There is such a thing as objectively good and bad singing.

Edited November 26 by PurpleTentacle

[tv echo]

Wicked opened to $112.5M domestic and $162.5M worldwide...
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1199474177/?ref_=bo_hm_rd

‘Wicked – Part One’: All The Box Office Records Broken
By Anthony D'Alessandro   November 24, 2024
https://deadline.com/2024/11/wicked-box-office-records-1236186470/ 

Quote

Biggest Global and Domestic Opening for a Movie Based on a Broadway Show, beating the worldwide opening of 2012’s Les Miserables ($103M) and the domestic opening of Disney’s 2014 Into the Woods ($31M).

Biggest Global and Domestic Opening for Ariana Grande ever, Wicked being her first feature tentpole debut. And therefore arguably…

Biggest Domestic Opening for a Pop Star, with Wicked besting the first films sold around the likeness of such performing artists as Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born at $42.5M), Harry Styles (Don’t Worry Darling at $19.3M), Britney Spears (Crossroads at $14.5M), Taylor Swift (Cats at $6.6M), Madonna (Desperately Seeking Susan at $1.5M), and the entire domestic gross of Michael Jackson’s The Wiz ($21M unadjusted for inflation).

Biggest Global and Domestic Opening Ever for Cynthia Erivo, besting the $12M stateside start of 2018’s Widows.

Biggest Global and Domestic Opening Ever for filmmaker Jon M. Chu, mowing down the $40.5M domestic start of his 2013 Dwyane Johnson, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation and the $132M worldwide start of that Hasbro/Paramount movie.

Biggest Domestic Opening for Producer Marc Platt, besting 2023’s The Little Mermaid‘s $95.5M, however, it’s…

2nd Biggest Global Opening for Producer Marc Platt, behind the 2019 live-action take of Disney’s Aladdin at $213M.

Biggest Global Opening for a non-sequel film for 2024, besting China’s Yolo which opened to $112M over Chinese New Year as well as MPAA title, It Ends With Us, which posted an $80M global first frame.  

Biggest Opening Ever for a Musical Feature by Stephen Schwartz, besting Enchanted‘s domestic opening of $34.4M.

Biggest Domestic Previews for a Movie Based on Broadway Musical at $19.2M.

Biggest First Day for a Movie Based on a Broadway Musical at $46.4M, besting the first day/preview haul of Les Miserables ($18.1M) and The Color Purple ($18.1M).

2nd biggest domestic opening for a musical feature in November, behind 2019’s Frozen II‘s $130.2M.

5th biggest domestic opening for a musical feature ever, behind 2019’s The Lion King ($191.7M), 2017’s Beauty and the Beast ($174.7M), 2023’s Barbie ($162M — it did have people singing and plenty of show-stopping numbers!) and 2019’s Frozen ($130.2M).

6th biggest opening at the Global Box Office for a Musical Feature behind 2019’s The Lion King ($446M), 2017’s Beauty and the Beast ($358M), Frozen 2 ($358M), Barbie ($356.3M) and 2019’s Aladdin ($213M).

10th biggest domestic opening for November, in a list that’s topped by Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($181.3M).

3rd Biggest Opening Weekend at Domestic Box Office for 2024 at the time of this post, behind Deadpool & Wolverine ($211.4M) and Inside Out 2 ($154.2M) and ahead of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ($111M).

Edited November 26 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Idina Menzel & Kristin Chenoweth Talk About Their 'Wicked' Legacy
Entertainment Weekly   Nov 25, 2024

How Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo Became Glinda & Elphaba in 'Wicked' ???? | Teen Vogue
Teen Vogue   Nov 25, 2024

[SeanC]

5 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

Also it seems like nobody checked if she can actually movie-act or just stage-act.

She’s also an Academy Award nominee.

[Shannon L.]

1 hour ago, SeanC said:

She’s also an Academy Award nominee.

She also wrote and sang the song for that movie, which was nominated for Best Original Song. 

[meep.meep]

9 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

 

You'd think a Tony award winner wouldn't completely tank a song, but yet it happened. Maybe that award was the reason for the bad casting afterall, I don't know. I just know the casting was bad.

I saw it last night and didn't think Erivo tanked anything.  She made different choices than what you were expecting perhaps.  And her acting was exceptional.

One little item I noticed was Glinda doing the makeover and pulling out a pair of ruby slippers for Elphaba.

Everyone else was doing American voices, I wonder why Peter Dinklage chose to do the goat essentially as Tyrian Lanister's British voice.

[bref]

Cynthia Erivo has an incredible singing voice. I think someone here has an axe to grind. 

Edited November 28 by bref

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 11/25/2024 at 1:27 PM, iarwain said:

Not everyone pays attention to musicals, or watches TV shows where they were trying to promote the show.  I'm sure most people are aware Wicked is a musical, but to say it's "impossible" for someone not to know that is going too far.  Unlikely perhaps, but certainly not impossible.

I was reading this back-and-forth so I asked Mr. Outlier, "What do you know about Wicked?"  He said he had "picked up in the ether" that there's a movie called Wicked coming out, but that's it. 

He didn't know that it was a musical, or a Broadway show, or a book (actually, I didn't know about the book, either), or that it had anything to do with The Wizard of Oz. 

As for me, I knew it was on Broadway, and had Kristin Chenoweth in it so I would assume it's a musical, but I wouldn't stake my life on it.  I do remember posters that had somebody green on them, and never really knew why. 

[iarwain]

31 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

As for me, I knew it was on Broadway, and had Kristin Chenoweth in it so I would assume it's a musical, but I wouldn't stake my life on it.

Thanks for your comments, but I'm dropping it so I won't speak about it further.  I was just making an observation, I wasn't trying to upset anyone.

Funny thing is, I was watching Willy Wonka last night, and the movie Deck the Halls came on after it.  I had seen it before, but I was surprised to see Kristin Chenoweth in it (I heard her squeaky voice coming from the TV and it was unmistakable).  It's not a musical, and she's just playing a comedic role as Danny DeVito's wife.  I was a little surprised because I had also associated her with singing roles (I mean when you've got a voice like that why not?).

And let me just say this:  Even though Erivo and Grande did a great job, it would have been nice if we could have gotten a movie version years ago with the original witches, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.

[nilyank]

On 11/26/2024 at 3:19 PM, Shannon L. said:

She also wrote and sang the song for that movie, which was nominated for Best Original Song. 

And to add to her Tony, she has a Emmy and Grammy. She is talented and it was why she landed the role.

[Spartan Girl]

Just got back from it and DAMN. Maybe we all owe Jon Chu an apology because even though we didn’t need two movies, spacing things out might not have been a bad idea. By letting things breathe a little, we got a little more that added to the story, like Elphaba’s childhood and why she connected with animals so much, not to mention the political climate of Oz, and even emphasized Elphaba and Glinda’s budding friendship. It didn’t feel bloated at all.

I loved how it also went full camp on the choreography. And made Defying Gravity into a climatic chase and climatic Miles Morales leap of faith moment.

Cynthia was fantastic, hands down. Her voice, her acting…she should get nominated for this but probably won’t.

Ariana Grande, I misjudged you. Thank you so much for Glinda the way she is, and not letting the songwriters do a more hip hop style to accommodate your style like Carrie Underwood’s misbegotten Sound of Music. She can definitely hit those high notes.

Jonathan Bailey….never saw Bridgerton, but damn 😍😍😍😍😍. Can’t wait for Cynthia and him to do “As Long As You’re Mine.”

I love how Michelle Yeoh made her own Madame Morrible as a seemingly benign figure with a slightly bitchy edge the audience is willing to overlook (because she doesn’t take Glinda’s crap) until the mask comes off. Likewise, Jeff Goldblum’s wizard is a truly slick conman and not the more pathetic version we see in the stage show.

Wow, the internet really hates Nessa. True, she kind of sucks as a sister, given how she didn’t stick up for Elphaba at the Ozdust. But Boq still sucks more.

Yes, I geeked out at Idina and Kristin’s cameos, and all the Oz Easter eggs. Sue me.

So yeah, it is the hype. Will part 2 live up to it? I don’t know, but I want it NOW.

[iarwain]

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Wow, the internet really hates Nessa. True, she kind of sucks as a sister, given how she didn’t stick up for Elphaba at the Ozdust. But Boq still sucks more.

Be that as it may, they have the best rhyme in the whole musical:

"Listen Nessa - uh Nessa, I've got something to confessa"

[Morrigan2575]

I haven't watched the movie so I can't comment on Erivo's acting skills but, I do recall several theater actors commenting on the differences between theater acting and TV/Movie acting.  

It's possible that she just hasn't learned to act for the camera instead of the back row.

[PurpleTentacle]

On 11/26/2024 at 7:55 PM, SeanC said:

She’s also an Academy Award nominee.

So is Jared Leto. 🤷‍♂️

Which is fitting, since they seem to have similar personalities.

Edit: Sorry, my bad, Leto is an Academy Award winner, not just nominee.

On 11/26/2024 at 11:10 PM, meep.meep said:

I saw it last night and didn't think Erivo tanked anything.  She made different choices than what you were expecting perhaps.  And her acting was exceptional.

Ariana Grande made different choices than I'd expect when she sang the wizard and I. It was still good. Erivo tanked that song.

Acting, again good in some scenes, really bad in others.

On 11/27/2024 at 12:04 AM, bref said:

Cynthia Erivo has an incredible singing voice. I think someone here has an axe to grind. 

It's true that I don't like her after she went off on a fan who dared to improve their shitty poster. Doesn't change the fact that she screwed up that song with her "increadible singing voice".

Edited Friday at 04:01 AM by PurpleTentacle

[PurpleTentacle]

But ignoring all that. Did nobody else think it was strange how they changed Glinda seemingly trying to come with Elphaba at the end of the movie, even though it goes against what they just sang about? Namely wishing each other luck and happyness on their respective, seperate journeys?

[Phebemarie]

Cynthia Enviro's voice was much lighter than I expected it to be given her Broadway experience.  It sounded very youthful and appropriate for her character in part one.  I wonder if she will use a more mature sound in the second part. 

I was completely impressed with the entire thing and will have to watch it a second time to catch everything I missed.   

I think they kept the intent of the original in Defying Gravity.  They were both trying to escape from the flying monkeys and guards.  It's more interesting to me if Glinda is really tempted to go with Ephaba at that moment.  

[Spartan Girl]

I still remember when “fans” of The Little Mermaid took used AI to lighten Halle Bailey’s skin and make her hair redder on the excuse to make her appearance more accurate, or the crueler ones photoshopping her eyes to look further apart to look like a fish. So even if that person wasn’t trying to be racist, Cynthia’s feelings were valid. And the fact that one assholes retaliated by photoshopping a monkey face over her picture only proves her point. 

[MissAlmond]

I didn't care about the Wicked book series.

I love musical theater but had no desire to see Wicked while visiting NYC.

The film adaptation of Wicked isn't calling my name.

However, this talk of Cynthia Erivo's singing possibly being worse than Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia made me curious enough to listen to The Wizard and I. 

IMO, there's nothing wrong with Erivo's singing voice.  And that's all I'm going to say on that. 

Edited Friday at 02:43 PM by MissAlmond

[choclatechip45]

Wow. I thought it was fantastic! Cynthia, Ariana and Jonathan were all really good. Can't wait for part 2 even though I've seen the musical!

[arc]

On 11/25/2024 at 5:31 PM, PurpleTentacle said:

It didn't feel like there was a bunch of obvious filler in this movie. 

So, I've never seen the stage show, or even listened to any of the songs before this besides "Defying Gravity", or read the book. So I'm going in ignorant. But to me, the plight of the animals in Oz felt only lightly sketched in, and the enemies-to-friends arc for Elpheba and Glinda felt a little too long and yet just had an abrupt turn at the Ozdust. And what was Fiyero about? Maybe he plays a bigger role later? If this was a standalone movie, I'd say all his scenes were filler.

And the hardest thing about balancing it all is that you have to believe the Wizard is a bad guy to cheer for Elpheba (check) and yet that Glinda's face turn is real but she's not bad herself for siding with the Wizard (... only 50% successful here for my money).

Honestly, I don't think I could thread that needle any better, but it was still overall fairly unsatisfying as a movie... But with a killer ending. So "Defying Gravity" was great but if it makes sense, it paid off more than the rest of the movie adequately set up.

[Shannon L.]

10 hours ago, arc said:

And what was Fiyero about? Maybe he plays a bigger role later?

I barely remember the musical, but when someone on another board asked why he was even in it because he didn't seem necessary, the response was "just wait...."

[EtheltoTillie]

I haven't seen it yet, but I'm looking forward. I've seen the stage show twice (Broadway and London).   I'm not sure if they "had" to cast a Black actress, but they probably felt it was time.  I think they only recently had a Black actress for the stage production for the first time.

Will this attract more Black audiences to the movie?  I have a funny story about that.  About 15 years ago, my office decided to go on an outing to the Apollo amateur night live show (not the one they used to show weekly on NBC), just a live show that they have midweek (they still have it on Wednesdays).

Anyway, it was largely a Black audience, and one young white girl had the balls to get up and sing "Popular," and she was booed off, poor thing.  I had to give her credit for gumption.

Edited Saturday at 06:45 PM by EtheltoTillie

[AgathaC]

5 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

I barely remember the musical, but when someone on another board asked why he was even in it because he didn't seem necessary, the response was "just wait...."

It’s been a while since I saw the musical, but, yes, Fiyero’s role should be clarified in part two. As will Glinda’s own journey. Whether or not dividing it into two parts serves the story/character arcs or not is up for debate.

Edited Saturday at 08:10 PM by AgathaC

[Lois Sandborne]

On 10/28/2024 at 5:50 PM, Morrigan2575 said:

I still don't understand why they decided to make this 2 movies. I like Wicked but, the good numbers (IMO) are in Act 1. No Good Deed is the only song of note in Act 2 (IMO).

I love "For Good" too, but I agree all the real showstoppers are in Act 1. I think that'll be a big letdown after waiting a whole year for the finale. If they had to split it in two (and they didn't), I wish they'd drop Part 2 in February.

After finally seeing it, it seems more obvious to me than ever the creative team decided they wanted two movies and then worked backward to figure out how to do it. All the expanded stuff with the animal resistance, and all that applesauce during the "Defying Gravity" portion were the most obvious examples. There was just so much padding.

I loved it overall though. The song production was fantastic. I don't like Ariana Grande's voice, but her harmonizing with Cynthia Erivo was beautiful. Idina and Kristin were a terrific surprise. The choreography and staging of all the numbers was amazing; one of the few real reasons to take a show from stage to screen is being able to do really cinematic stuff with dancing and shot composition, and honestly they nailed it. The whole thing looked incredible, the costuming, the set designs, the lighting, all of it. It was great. Not great enough to justify wringing two films out of one story, but really, really good.

[SeanC]

20 minutes ago, Lois Sandborne said:

I love "For Good" too, but I agree all the real showstoppers are in Act 1. I think that'll be a big letdown after waiting a whole year for the finale. If they had to split it in two (and they didn't), I wish they'd drop Part 2 in February.

After finally seeing it, it seems more obvious to me than ever the creative team decided they wanted two movies and then worked backward to figure out how to do it. All the expanded stuff with the animal resistance, and all that applesauce during the "Defying Gravity" portion were the most obvious examples. There was just so much padding.

I wouldn't say there's padding, there's things to make the sequences more cinematic. Stage and screen having different rhythms.

Based on this film, even if you were to make some cuts, I don't see how you could do the whole musical as one movie without it approaching four hours.

[iarwain]

On 11/30/2024 at 1:39 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

 

Anyway, it was largely a Black audience, and one young white girl had the balls to get up and sing "Popular," and she was booed off, poor thing.  I had to give her credit for gumption.

 

Well, I mean it isn't the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

[EtheltoTillie]

12 minutes ago, iarwain said:

Well, I mean it isn't the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I don’t actually get this comment. Do you mean Wicked is more likely to be popular with a Black audience than the Rocky Horror Picture Show?  Either one would be in a cultural gap. 

Edited Sunday at 10:46 PM by EtheltoTillie

[Morrigan2575]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I don’t actually get this comment. Do you mean Wicked is more likely to be popular with a Black audience than the Rocky Horror Picture Show?  Either one would be in a cultural gap. 

Pretty sure they meant it isn't interactive like the midnight showings of Rocky Horror where fans did get up and sing as well as talk back to the screen and throw toast 😁

[EtheltoTillie]

28 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Pretty sure they meant it isn't interactive like the midnight showings of Rocky Horror where fans did get up and sing as well as talk back to the screen and throw toast 😁

But the Apollo Amateur Night IS interactive.  People can get booed off by the audience and get the hook.  They're not allowed to finish their number.  The girl singing "Popular" was taking a big risk. 

Edited Monday at 12:49 AM by EtheltoTillie

[iarwain]

37 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

But the Apollo Amateur Night IS interactive.  People can get booed off by the audience and get the hook.  They're not allowed to finish their number.  The girl singing "Popular" was taking a big risk. 

Yeah, I meant what Morrison said.  I just didn't realize what Apollo Amateur Night is and how it works.  Never mind.

[Morrigan2575]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

But the Apollo Amateur Night IS interactive.  People can get booed off by the audience and get the hook.  They're not allowed to finish their number.  The girl singing "Popular" was taking a big risk. 

Ah, I wasn't aware, I thought someone just got up ro sing during a standard showing.

[Pebbles]

I saw this last night and was absolutely blown away.  And, as a singer, am baffled as to how anyone could disparage Cynthia Erivo’s performance (aside from one really ugly reason).  Both Erivo and Grande were fantastic singers and actors. Also, I could watch Jonathan Bailey Dance Through Life on repeat!

[Hanahope]

Ariana certainly channeled Kristen Chenowith perfectly.  She did a great job both acting and singing.  Cynthia was phenomenal imo.  I can’t wait to see part 2.  I expect both to get nominated but they may not win until after part 2.

[SeanC]

Short-ish overview of the filming of "Popular". Mainly fun to hear Chu discussing how the production crew had to operate all the props in the room, such as the suitcases and the chandelier.

A much longer feature on the set design. They spent months growing all the flowers that we see briefly in the opening sequence.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

On 12/1/2024 at 6:20 PM, Morrigan2575 said:

Pretty sure they meant it isn't interactive like the midnight showings of Rocky Horror where fans did get up and sing as well as talk back to the screen and throw toast 😁

It will never be as iconic as The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) .  That movie spanned multi generations of viewing and participa_______tion. It had huge____ followings of  weekly____ midnight shows in cities all over the U.S.  for decades.  It may still__ be showing  every so often at midnight on a weekend somewhere.