'Wicked: For Good' X Review, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo Unable To Save 'Sloppily Made' Sequel

Wicked: For Good had its New York premiere at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts on November 17, 2025. The event featured the cast and crew walking a yellow carpet to celebrate the highly anticipated movie's release. Attendees included actors, Cynthia Erivo (who plays 'Elphaba'), Ariana Grande (who played 'Glinda'), and other co-stars, alongwith director, Jon M. Chu. Ahead of the film's official release in the United States on November 21, 2025, here's a look at what fans are saying about the sequel.

 premiered in New York ahead of its official release

The Wicked: For Good New York City premiere was a star-studded event. The actors playing pivotal roles in the sequel, Cynthia Erivo ('Elphaba'), Ariana Grande ('Glinda'), Jonathan Bailey ('Fiyero'), Jeff Goldblum ('The Wizard'), Michelle Yeoh ('Madame Morrible'), and the movie's director were present at the event. In addition to the main cast, attendees included celebrities such as Jimmy Fallon, Gayle King, George Lucas, Jane Krakowski, and Connie Britton. Guests were encouraged to dress up in accordance with the theme, 'Emerald City Elegance', which added an interesting element to the premiere event.

Wicked: For Good X Reviews: What worked and did not work for the sequel

Wicked: For Good, the sequel to the 2024 movie, Wicked. Fans have patiently waited for a year to witness the magic of 'Elphaba' and 'Glinda' on screen again. The first movie was a box office success, grossing over USD 759 million worldwide. It was largely hailed as a decent adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical. However, its sequel received mixed reviews, with most fan comments on X (formerly Twitter) expressing disappointment at its squandered potential, despite a talented cast and varied possibilities for plot continuation. Some called the movie 'abysmal' and blamed the plot for lacking soul.

"Wicked: For Good" is abysmal. Sloppily made, slavishly obedient to other works, and completely lacking in soul or energy—or a grasp on its own politics. Somehow worse than the first film, and without the depth of performance that made it tolerable," a fan wrote on X. According to them, actors, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo did a good job at portraying their characters. Fans praised the performances and vocal talents of leads. However, the plot and the film's uneven pacing receive flak. The reviewer claimed the film was not even tolerable.

Many fans highlighted the movie's political aspect, including its depiction of 'allegory for populism', which could have been well utilised to take the plot forward if it had fallen into the 'right hands', as per the viewers. "The political stuff is so interesting considering the Wizard of Oz is thought of as an allegory for populism, and now seeing what populism has done to America in 2025. So much potential there for greatness if it were in the right hands," wrote one. Some critics were also impressed by the two new original songs by Stephen Schwartz, The Girl in the Bubble and No Place Like Home, with some finding them forgettable compared to the show's classic hits.

"I like characters that have depth or given more depth. The second part has a chance to give these characters much more depth and they kind of just wasted it on two songs I felt were unnecessary where dialogue was really needed in some scenes," wrote a fan. While another commented, "act 2 of the play is a mess, so it's unfortunately not surprising. all i can hope is that they don't chop up "no good deed" like they did "defying gravity"." Overall, Wicked's sequel failed to have the desired effect on viewers.

Will you be hitting the theatres to watch Wicked: For Good? Let us know.

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