Wickedhas a chance to beatThe Wizard of Ozat the 2025 Oscars. The movie musical, which is anOzprequel directed byIn the Heights' Jon M. Chu, stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and Ariana Grande-Butera as Galinda, the future Glinda the Good. It is adapted from the 2003 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel of the same name, which drew inspiration from L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novelThe Wonderful Wizard of Ozand its 1939 film adaptation starring Judy Garland.
Throughout the year, the 2024 musical has slowlyemerged as a frontrunner for Academy Award nominationsin a variety of different categories. In fact, at the time of writing,Varietylists it as their most likely candidate for a Best Picture nomination alongside buzzy movies such asAnora,Emilia Pérez,Conclave, andGladiator II. This has likely been aided by theWickedbox office, which debuted with the best opening weekend of all time for a Broadway musical adaptation. The movie has also been well-reviewed, earning a Certified Fresh 89% Rotten Tomatoes score with a Verified Hot 96% audience score.
Where To Watch Wicked On Streaming
The hit musical based on The Wizard of Oz is now an Oscar-nominated movie, and here are the options for where to watch it on streaming or on digital.
Wicked Is A Real Threat For The Acting Oscar Nominations Wizard Of Oz Never Got
It Could Have Nominations In Several Categories
The 2024 movie seems poised to earn far more Academy Award nominations than the originalThe Wizard of Oz. This is potentially the case because of a variety of reasons, but one of the most important is theWickedcast, which includes several stars who are considered serious contenders for Oscar nominations. This includes Ariana Grande-Butera, who isconsidered to be more or less a lock for a Best Supporting Actress nod.However, Cynthia Erivo is also in the conversation for Best Actress, as is Jonathan Bailey for Best Supporting Actor in his role as the seemingly vapid prince Fiyero.
While they are less competitive contenders, the cast also features an Oscar nominee (Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard of Oz) and an Oscar winner (Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible) who could be nominated for their supporting performances.
Even a single acting nod forWickedwould outdoThe Wizard of Oz, which received zero nominations in performance categories. This could be due to a variety of reasons, including an implicit bias on the part of the Academy against material perceived as being meant for children. However,the 1939 movie also faced major competition at the 12th Academy Awardsin 1940, from iconic movies includingGone with the Wind,Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,Stagecoach, andWuthering Heights. Additionally, the Academy acknowledged the movie’s cast by giving Judy Garland a “Juvenile Award” for her performance, but it was only honorary.
Wicked Is A Bigger Below-The-Line Oscars Contender Than Wizard Of Oz Thanks To Newer Categories
The Academy Awards Change Over Time
Another place where theWickedmoviecould excel at the 97th Academy Awards is in the below-the-line categories.It is widely considered to be a contender for nominations in many technical categoriesincluding Best Makeup & Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound (a category in which many musicals are nominated). Combined with the acting categories, this could earn the movie somewhere between six and eight nominations without even counting every possible category in which it could be nominated, such as Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Score.
One technical category whereWickedmay not be a strong contender is Best Cinematography, as the movie has been widely criticized for its desaturated color grading.
The Wizard of Oz, by comparison, was only nominated in two such categories (Best Art Direction - which is now known as Best Production Design - and Best Special Effects). However, neither the Best Costume Design award nor the Best Makeup & Hairstyling award were around in 1940, as the former was not introduced until 1948 (with the first winners beingHamletfor black-and-white andJoan of Arcfor color) and the latter was introduced decades later in 1981 (with the first winner beingAn American Werewolf in London). Thus,Wickedhasthe advantage of more categories being available for potential nominations.
Wicked Needs To Win Three Oscars To Beat The Wizard Of Oz
Beating The Wizard Of Oz Is Entirely Possible
Overall, considering these factors, it seemsentirely likely thatWickedwill sweep the nominations in a variety of categories, earning many more nods from the Academy thanThe Wizard of Oz, which was only nominated in five categories. In addition to Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects, this includes Best Picture, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song (for “Over the Rainbow”). This major upset will likely still be the case even thoughWickedis not eligible for Best Original Song, as its soundtrack consists entirely of Stephen Schwartz’s music from the original 2003 stage show.
Of the nominations it receives,Wickedwill only have to win in three categories in order to surpassThe Wizard of Oz. In spite of its five nominations and its status as an enduring classic,the 1939 movie only won for Best Original Song and Best Original Score, losing Best Art Direction toGone with the Wind, Best Special Effects toThe Rains Came, and Best Picture toGone with the Wind.
Oscar projections have [Ariana] Grande-Butera as the second most-likely nominee in the [Best Supporting Actress] category…
Two categories in whichWickedis a frontrunner are Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, in which it is a standout because it brings the fantastical world of Oz back to the screen. If it wins those categories,Ariana Grande-Butera taking Best Supporting Actress would allow the movie an easy path to victoryover the original classic that inspired it. This is entirely within the realm of possibility, asGold Derby’s Oscar projections have Grande-Butera as the second most-likely nominee in the category behind Zoe Saldaña forEmilia Pérez.
GlowingWickedreviewsacross the board point to it potentially being an even bigger success at the Academy Awards. In addition to wins in the technical categories, it is so far one of the strongest contenders in the Best Picture race. It is extremelycommon for Best Picture winners to sweep many other categories, with previous winners such asThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingtaking home 11 Oscars, though sometimes this is not the case, as12 Years a Slaveonly won 3 awards, withGravitydominating many of the categories at the 2014 awards.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
