“This is a very cinematic show. This should be on the big screen,” director John M. Chu recalls thinking after the first time he saw Wicked. It’s true he was handed all the ingredients for success with the theatrical version: the Broadway show is colorful, comedic, dramatic, and diva-focused, with big set pieces, stunt work, and show-stopping tunes. But fans have approached this production with caution.
Of course it’s not a shock that the film would look good, given Chu’s track record with 2021’s In The Heights, but Wicked is way bigger in scale, with the fantastical fantasy setting. It’s also bigger in scope—Wicked is one of the top-grossing Broadway musicals of all time, so there are way more eyes on this one. In The Heights also went straight to streaming at the same time as theatrical, so the box office performance was dicey.