There’s been an ongoing conversation over at our Substack, The Squawk, about how quiet Wicked: For Good has been, seemingly. At least in comparison to the overload of Wickeding last year. I wrote about this in our latest mailbag newsletter – that it’s been smart of the studio to hold back on Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande until closer to release date after all the groundwork they’d already laid last year, especially since there are over 70 brand partnerships in place with various brands to promote the movie and get the sales going through merchandising. 

 

Still, for those of you who remain curious about Wicked: For Good and when the promotional onslaught will begin…well… since you asked for it, here it comes. The first screenings of the film happened last night. Which means the first reactions are now all over the place – and from what I’ve seen, they are overwhelmingly, gushingly positive. Here’s Variety editor Jazz Tangcay:

 

And Rebecca Ford who covers award season for Vanity Fair: 

It is not unusual for reviews to pop off with enthusiasm after first screenings and plateau once more people have seen the movie. But Wicked: For Good is all about hype and the ensuing discourse once it opens wide will only prolong the hype that precedes the opening. In other words, the marketing is right on schedule. 

 

You’ll recall, both Cynthia and Ariana were nominated for Oscars in the lead and supporting category last year. While Jessie Buckley remains the frontrunner in the Best Actress category this year for her performance in Hamnet, Cynthia continues to be in the conversation and is seen, right now at least, in second position on the list of the possible five. 

Ariana, meanwhile, might actually be the frontrunner on the nomination list in the Best Supporting Actress category considering she already has one for playing Glinda and also with how her campaigning is messaging her performance in the sequel: that it’s even more nuanced with a higher degree of difficulty than what we saw in the first movie. She’s been singled out in many of the social media reaction posts I’ve seen so far after last night’s screenings. 

 

Here's Ari in New York and she’s back in pink. This is Vivienne Westwood, styled by Law Roach. Which is interesting because Law was Ari’s stylist for a few years, from around 2015 to 2020 and then she started working with Mimi Cuttrell. Mimi was styling Ari as recently as May. 

 

And then in August, when Ari started tiptoeing into Wicked: For Good promotion, Law was back. He will presumably be with her through the Wicked tornado that’s about to touch down over the next few weeks and also award season. There’s been a lot of stylist musical chairs happening recently, not unlike creative director musical chairs over at the fashion houses. I wonder if there’s any tea here. 

 

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Ariana Grande arriving at the DGA Theatre in New York, October 27, 2025
Photo credits: Fernando Ramales/ Backgrid

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