After an indefinite delay, the movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musicalWickedhas finally received a release date that Universal probably plans on keeping this time. Assuming no more delays pop up,Wickedwill release in theaters on July 27, 2025.
For the past few years,Wickedwas originally slated to release on December 20th of this year. However, it was announced in August of last year that Universal was actually going to push this release date back. This slot was instead given to the movie adaptation ofCats, which will be directed byLes Miserablesdirector Tom Hooper and will star Taylor Swift, Ian McKellen, Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, Judi Dench, Jennifer Hudson and James Corden. The movie is currently in production, so it is expected thatCatswill still release at the end of the year.
December always seems to be a good month for musicals, as a new movie musical releases in that slot almost every year. In 2018, it wasMary Poppins Returns, withThe Greatest Showman,SingandLa La Landfilling in in years past. Universal has started to realize the potential that December musicals have at the box office afterSingraked in over $600 million at the box office, despite being pinned against aStar Warsmovie. Because of this, the studio has recently been stepping up their game. This year, they will releaseCatsin the December slot, withSing 2slated for the December slot in 2020 andWickednow filling the December 2021 slot.
The biggest competition thatWickedwill have at the December 2021box officewill beAvatar 3, which is currently slated to hit theaters on December 17th, only five days beforeWicked. However, as the box office has proven in recent years, these types of movies tend to have different target audiences, seeing as bothRogue OneandSingbecame massive hits despite being released only five days apart as well. Alas, the biggest competition forWickedmay come from Dreamworks and Warner Bros., as both studios currently have animated movies slated to release on December 22, the same day thatWickedreleases.
Wickedwill be directed bythree time Academy Award nominee Stephen Daldry. Some of Daldry’s most notable work has been onThe Reader,The Hours, the TV seriesThe Crown, and the movie-musicalBilly Elliot. Daldry is also the director that will reportedly helm Lucasfilm’sObi-Wan Kenobimovie, assuming that Disney still intends to move forward with that project afterSolobecame an absolute box office disaster.
All things considered, things are looking up for Broadway fans who have been heavily anticipatingWickedto reach the silver screen.Wickedhas been one of the most popular Broadway musicals over the past decade and a half, so it’s not a surprise that the movie adaptation for this musical has received more hype than almost any other musical in recent years. Hopefully, this announced release date byUniversal Pictureswill be a permanent one, as any more delays may make fans of the movie lose interest.
