On Nov. 22, “Wicked” flew into theaters and has since cast a spell on the hearts of viewers worldwide. The film has successfully translated the magic and grandeur of its original stage production to the big screen with catchy musical numbers and loveable characters.
The movie is adapted from the musical, “Wicked”, which is based off of the 1995 book “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Macguire. Making its Broadway debut in 2003, the production is currently running with no signs of declining popularity.
“Wicked” is a fractured fairytale based on L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. The new take on the story shares the perspectives of the Wicked Witch of the West, or Elphaba, and Glinda the Good Witch. The story highlights Elphaba’s experiences growing up and how they shaped her into the evil figure she was described as in Baum’s novel.
Much like the hit song suggests, “Wicked” has surely been “Popular”. The movie’s release was one of the most anticipated events of the year, and brought in $162 million globally. This places “Wicked” as the third-biggest domestic debut of the year, and the most successful Broadway-to-film adaptation in history.
Part of the film’s success can be attributed to the authentic efforts made by the cast and crew. Leading actresses Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda agreed to sing the score live, contributing to the raw and powerful emotion behind each number. Many actors, including Erivo herself, performed their own stunts, furthering the effort that each cast member put into their performance.
The production team also steered away from a heavy reliance on CGI. A large portion of the set pieces were physically built, bringing the magical energy of Oz to life.
The film’s success has been propelled by social media, with trends and songs going viral on many platforms. This is especially present on Tiktok, where users have been covering songs from the production and even poking fun at numerous viral moments. One of which stems from an interview with Erivo and Grande in which the interviewer claimed that fans were ‘holding space’ for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity,” which became a popular joke among social media users.
Social media has also become a platform for creators to discuss proper movie theater etiquette when viewing the movie. Die-hard fans of the original Broadway musical choose to sing along to the production’s catchy tunes, which often disrupts others in theaters. Freshman Ryan Schiavo of Oceanport describes her experience with singing in theaters.
“Personally, I know I belted out the riff in ‘Defying Gravity,” said Schiavo. However, other viewers like senior Izzy Moller of Tinton Falls feel that this is disrespectful to people just trying to enjoy the film.
“Singalong versions of movies come out if they want you to sing,” said Moller.
Social media also highlighted instances in which committed fans, in an attempt to resemble the Wicked Witch herself, painted themselves green and were consequently turned away by AMC Theaters. AMC’s ban on facepaint popularized on social media after Tiktok user jamieforst posted a viral video advising people not to wear face paint, as AMC will ask you to leave or wash off the paint.
This ban was put in place as a precautionary measure after a 2012 mass shooting, in which a viewer of “The Dark Knight” disguised themself in a theater and took numerous lives.
Despite the controversies that arose on social media, viewers agree that the film is a ‘wickedly’ good take on a globally loved story. Word of mouth and rave reviews praise the film for a faithful yet innovative take on the source material.
“I thought it was so true to the original and the cast was absolutely amazing,” said Moller.
