Wicked vs. Gladiator 2: MASSIVE Thanksgiving Box Office Battle! Who Will Win?!

Wicked: Behind-the-Scenes Secrets and Oscar Buzz!

Wicked's Whimsical World: Candy-Filled Corsets and Unexpected Musical Moments!

Get ready for some behind-the-scenes scoop on the highly anticipated Wicked movie (Part 1 hits theaters November 22nd; Part 2 in 2025)! PEOPLE magazine's exclusive special edition reveals all the fun stuff that went on, featuring those insanely talented stars Ariana Grande (31) and Cynthia Erivo (37). This article unpacks those juicy details and gives some really exciting hints as to what might just be ahead. We are diving into candy-filled corsets (seriously!), those unexpected on-set singalongs, and the surprising challenges faced even by the talented cast itself! Prepare yourselves for an amazingly magical sneak peek!

The movie is the amazing adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical. The whole story follows the remarkable origins of the infamous Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children's book and that awesome 1939 movie classic. It showcases a story about Elphaba Thropp; that amazing witch, a young misunderstood woman who's cursed with green skin and powerful magic! At Shiz University, she encounters the equally magical Glinda (Grande), and they become close friends, only to experience their bond tested after experiencing events from their external world!

Also Read: Wicked Movie Box Office: Will it Hit $1 Billion? Pre-Sales Predict Epic Success!

Ariana Grande’s Sweet Secret (and Other Fun Moments!)

PEOPLE's 'Wicked' Special Edition Goes Behind the Scenes of the Movie (Exclusive) Image

Grande’s Glinda rocks some ridiculously amazing pink costumes! Her co-star, Michelle Yeoh, shares that those outfits also occasionally conceal a lot of treats (the actress casually eats candies then hides those extra sweets within her costume)! That same source also shared anecdotes of many other unexpectedly amazing, spontaneous moments! Cast members would spontaneously sing along to Rent and Next to Normal after each shoot!

Grande also bonded with Jeff Goldblum (the Wizard), serenading each other with songs from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels! Meanwhile, Erivo shared baked cookies with everyone– making vegan and gluten-free versions too. This is just incredibly impressive, demonstrating another very important human side of each actor!

Also Read: Wicked Movie: Two-Part Release - Genius or Disaster?

The Unexpected Challenges: From Ugg Boots to Stage Fright

‘Wicked’ Sends Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Into the Oscar Race; First Reactions Call It a ‘Masterpiece’ and an ‘Absolutely Stunning Vision’ Image

Even incredibly famous actors are only human, it turns out. Marissa Bode (Nessarose) got surprised by Grande’s incredible kindness! The young actress received a gift of amazing glitter Uggs from Grande; as these kinds of unexpected and randomly incredible acts truly made Bode's overall experience much more amazing!

Yeoh, despite her incredible acting skillset, wasn't confident about the amount of singing in her role and actually admitted she isn’t always great at singing – revealing her nervousness regarding her performance before actually doing it on camera. Luckily, Erivo and director John M. Chu completely eased her anxieties – truly illustrating how teamwork is also really important. Yeoh mentions this several times, really demonstrating just how her support structure within her acting group allowed this kind of impressive and unexpectedly difficult work to become a huge success! It is an unexpected example of amazing collaboration and teamwork.

Also Read: Wicked Movie: A Two-Part Epic That Could Redefine Musicals

Wicked's Magical Sets: Nine Million Tulips and Stellar Set Design

‘Wicked’ To Cast $80M+ Opening Spell, ‘Gladiator II’ To Roar $65M – Box Office Early Look Image

Wicked’s incredible budget spent more than simply the costuming and props, but even in this element alone we might discover what really happened: Nine million tulip bulbs! The incredibly skilled production designer Nathan Crowley wanted an amazing and real Oz. This commitment and immense work made this incredibly significant change; he even included input and ideas from the stars about how those characters related to certain aspects, like props – another example of teamwork and the creative aspects necessary for building that truly effective production process!

Crowley's commitment shows another very key detail regarding how this whole production came about: that commitment was entirely intentional; another aspect emphasized consistently and truly memorable across all critical commentary:

Also Read: Wicked Movie: The Two-Part Release is Here!

Critics Rave About Wicked – A Masterpiece in the Making?

'Wicked' first reactions praise Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Image

The first reactions are out and those initial impressions suggest the movie is amazingly great! Critics showered Grande and Erivo with praises. Grande’s Glinda is hailed as effortlessly hilarious, bringing surprising levels of comedy and truly elevating this part beyond previous attempts, something rarely ever duplicated in a long time. And Erivo’s Elphaba? Absolutely outstanding with heavenly vocals adding immense depth!

Director Jon M. Chu gets serious credit too! Many reviews claim this to be an astonishing work of musical art – perhaps even the best since Chicago. This also generates excitement, as many sources mention that they're extremely eager for that sequel release!

Wicked's Oscar Chances: A Real Contender?

Thanksgiving Boom: ‘Wicked’ Eyes $85M Opening, Followed by $65M for ‘Gladiator II’ Image

Awards season hype for Grande and Erivo is seriously high! They already look likely to become big contenders!

Grande is a serious candidate for a supporting actress nom (that is, considering those amazing one-liners!). Her unique talent is demonstrated in many key moments, showing exactly how well the whole role's creative conception works alongside the talents of Grande’s herself. Erivo faces a tougher battle for the lead role and her prospects entirely depend on how well the awards campaign fares and the overall success.

But how will Wicked fare in the Best Picture category? Those crucial tech nominations (for direction, costumes, production design, score, makeup and others!) are huge. They're vital for those Best Picture nods! Although this strategy is risky; technical expertise remains valuable.

Conclusion: Get Ready for Wicked's November 22nd Launch!

Wicked’s creative process was incredibly effective – including many surprise behind the scenes elements which further improved its prospects! This resulted in a remarkably engaging film; critics were almost universally thrilled! The phenomenal performances, spectacular sets and all those surprising behind-the-scenes tidbits suggest a potentially huge winner, and another potentially high impact on many other similar, theatrical projects and potentially create a far larger audience which greatly benefit these future installments, resulting in its tremendous success; a possible precursor for another wave of Musical productions, perhaps more adventurous than ones released before! This entire piece just screams "box office hit!"