Wicked is flying into theaters a little early! The highly anticipated film adaptation of the Broadway sensation will now arrive a week early on Nov. 22, five days ahead of its initial Thanksgiving weekend release date of Nov. 27.
The move pulls the film from direct competition with Disney's Moana 2 , which is still slated to release on Nov. 27. Wicked -- which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as its two main witches -- will now hit theaters on the same day as another major sequel, Gladiator II , which released first-look photos just hours prior to Universal Pictures' good news about Wicked 's earlier release date.
On X (formerly Twitter), the film's director, Jon M. Chu, made the announcement to fans, sharing that The Wizard of Oz prequel -- which won three Tony Awards after its premiere on Broadway more than two decades ago -- would soon be defying gravity in theaters. "5.
DAYS. EARLIER!!!! Let’s goooo!! #WickedMovie #Nov22 ," Chu, 44, wrote in a tweet Monday evening. The film follows the story of Glinda the Good Witch (Grande) and Erivo as Elphaba -- aka the Wicked Witch of the West -- and how they went from foes to unlikely friends while together on the campus of Shiz University The adaptation also stars Bridgerton 's Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero -- the love interest who finds himself caught between Elphaba and Glinda -- Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as headmistress Madame Morrible and Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
The announcement comes after ET spoke with.
