One of the most anticipated films of the year for musical lovers and Ariana Grande fans alike, “Wicked”, was released Nov. 22.

The musical “Wicked” retells The Wizard of Oz’s tale from the viewpoint of the witches of Oz, examining issues of power, discrimination, and the blurred line of good and evil. 

For a film that discusses the power of morality versus corruption, can all the good that came after Wicked’s release outweigh the controversial details of the film’s creation and marketing? 

The film’s popularity was set from the beginning once the announcement of Pop sensation Ariana Grande as an addition to the cast list was released, reviving her career in the acting scene since her minor appearance as Riley Bina in the Netflix’s film Don’t Look Up in 2021. 

Rumors shortly arose of an alleged affair between Grande and  co-star Ethan Slater during filming. These allegations swept the internet and cast a shadow on the film as the star’s supposed relationship took the spotlight. This situation eventually bubbled over as the film’s release date began approaching.

Leading up to the film’s release, posters of the movie began making their way onto social media. One poster was a recreation of the iconic playbill in which Elphaba with her hat over her eyes smirks as Glinda whispers to her. This poster sparked controversy as beloved musical fans were left disappointed when the campaign poster was not an exact recreation. A fan had edited the poster to fix these mistakes and this edit began circling social media. 

Cynthia Erivo responded to these edits by saying “This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have ever seen.” Fans began to say that her words were an overreaction as only small changes were made to fit the style of the playbill. 

Viewers were still excited to see what the movie had in store as the film made $46.4M on the first day of its release. “Wicked” received raving reviews from critics, and was recently named Best Film of 2024 by the National Board of Review.