Wicked Part 1, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, is coming to theaters sooner than previously expected.

According to Variety, the film adaptation of the book-turned-musical will be coming to theaters Nov. 27, 2024, a month ahead of its original Christmas release date. Universal is said to have felt that the film would do better around Thanksgiving rather than the Christmas season.

Two reasons are the two films that will be coming out next Christmas, Avatar 3 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The Avatar sequel specifically could be seen as a huge threat to Wicked’s performance at the box office seeing how Avatar’s sequel was the third-highest grossing movie in film history.

Director Jon M. Chu tweeted about the film’s move up in schedule, writing, “WICKED NEWS: We are deep into production on WICKED and everyday we get more and more excited to share with u the mischief we’ve been up to. So…We’ve decided to get it to you all a little earlier than planned.” He also called the new date a “little Thanksgiving treat[.]”

Fans will able to see Erivo portray Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, opposite Grande, who will portray Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. The film changed from one singular film to two parts during the production process in 2022. Chu also wrote about this on Twitter in a letter regarding the team’s decision.

“As we prepared the production over the last year, it became impossible to wrestle the story of Wicked into a single film without doing some real damage to it. As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years,” he wrote. “We decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one Wicked movie but two! With more space, we can tell the story of Wicked as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys for these beloved characters.”

“Cynthia, Ariana, and I–and all of the cast and crew–pledge to create nothing less than an experience that honors its foundation for all the fans who’ve waited for this movie, and to offer a thrilling, fantastical world full of dynamic characters that invites in those who are unfamiliar,” he continued.

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