Wicked: For Good predicted to hit new box office record - but the reviews suggest otherwise

Wicked: For Good premieres in cinemas this week, and the highly anticipated sequel is expected to be a box office hit.

The first film, Wicked, was a huge success when it was released last November, as it opened with $112.5 million - and current projections predict Wicked: For Good will eclipse this to debut $150 million and $180 million, as per Variety.

This would give a well-needed boost at the box office after October 2025 is projected to be the worst October of the 21st century, so (apart from 2020) - that's a 27-year low, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Given Wicked's popularity both on stage and on the screen, along with actors Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jonathan Bailey (freshly titled as People's Sexist Man Alive 2025) combined with product collaborations and pop-ups, the films have been a big part of pop culture.

Here's what everyone is talking about in regards to the Wicked: For Good.

Wicked: For Good reviews

Although the Wicked: For Good has generally received positive reviews from critics, they weren't as impressed as they were compared to the first film.

On the film review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a critics' score of 71 per cent, and an audience score is 97 per cent, at the time of writing.

The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey gave the film two stars out of five and described it as an "aimless slog of a sequel."

"For Good has little sense of movement, literally or emotionally – no profound revelations, no wonder or spectacle."

They've only gone and done it," said The Times's Kevin Maher, who gave the sequel four stars. "The makers of this musical sequel have delivered a film that surpasses last year's box-office smash in verve, ambition and emotional ache."

Meanwhile, The Telegraph's Robbie Collin wrote, "It doesn't amount to two hours of story – the stage show clips through the same plot in around half the time – and the padding is as obvious as it is exhausting," giving it just one star out of five, calling it "bloated and boring."

Empire's John Nugent gave the film three stars, saying "Wicked: For Good, sure — but not quite Wicked: For Great."

The i's Francesca Steele said in her four-star review, "It doesn't quite reach the heights of Part One, but this is still a highly entertaining display of what musical theatre can do on screen with top-level performances and a true affection for the world-building."

Social media reaction so far

The film is set to be released on November 21, but viewers who managed to attend early screenings are already giving their verdict, and the general consensus is that they enjoyed the film, but it didn't live up to the first film.

One person said, "Me pretending that i’m not jealous of everyone who is seeing Wicked: For Good before me."

"So Wicked: For Good. She’s no part 1, but that no good deed scene, that green lady could sing heaven down if she wanted to," a second person said.

A third person added, "#WickedForGood is good, not great. Bloated, disjointed and very evidently the second half of a story."

A fourth person described it as a "satisfying conclusion" but left them "feeling slightly underwhelmed".

"Wicked: For Good just doesn’t live up to the hype of waiting a year to watch this ending. If it was just one movie I would have been incredibly pleased to the conclusion but waiting a year for this felt underwhelming big time," someone else shared.

A user commented, "One thing I will say, wicked: for good feels like it was shortened to the extreme... the pacing seems a little bit off at times. I hope we get an extended version or a director's cut."

Cynthia and Ariana's friendship

During the press tour for the last film, the two leads went viral when their famous hand-holding moment became a meme.

When a journalist informed them both that fans were "holding space" for the lyrics of Defying Gravity, causing Erivo to become emotional with Grande, then showing support to her co-star by grabbing one of her fingers.

“I channel a lot of energy through my hands,” Ariana explained, during a recent appearance on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, “I’m always holding a hand, I’m always squeezing something. As you’ve learned, I’m always reaching for something.”

She added, “It’s often who I’m with. I like to channel, support, and energy… I didn’t even notice it was a thing until that thing happened,” in reference to the viral moment.

This time around, their friendship remains a topic of conversation online for moments such as Cynthia stepping in to protect Ariana when a fan stormed past security and rush towards the thank u, next” singer during the Singaporean premiere, and a resurfaced clip from the last press tour in 2024 where Cynthia stopped mid-interview to adjust Ariana's necklace.

Wicked: For Good is out in cinemas on November 21.

Elsewhere from Indy100, You can now stay in Elphaba's real-life 'forest hideout' from Wicked, and Pyjama Man's been jailed - and X is loving the judge’s remarks.

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