'Wicked: Part Two' Title Has Changed 'For Good'

Dearest, darlingest Momzy and Popsicle, who can say if it’s changed for the better

I hope you’re happy, I hope you’re happy now. Wicked director Jon M. Chu is apparently who can say whether changing the title of the film’s second part is for the better, and he is insisting so. The fervent defense came after Universal Pictures officially revealed the true subtitle for that second part in December. Instead of Wicked: Part Two, it’s Wicked: For Good releasing this November 21.

The new subtitle invokes what’s likely considered the biggest song of the portioj, the penultimate of act two, where in the last time they’ll ever see each other, Elphaba (played by Cynthia Erivo in the films) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) reflect on everything their friendship has put them through. On the National Board of Review Awards gala carpet Tuesday night in New York City, Chu fervently reminded that the For Good subtitle has always been there. “On the script, it always said For Good, and so it was just a point of like, ‘Do we really want to call this “Part Two”?’ And nobody wants that.” This does align with Erivo’s own sharing of the sequel script back in June 2023, which had Part Two: For Good on it. Still, it’s a strange thing to ask or even assume no one else would when you go through with putting Part One in the first movie’s own title card. Chu underlined that no other film titles were ever considered. “I mean, that’s the destination. ‘For Good,’ we know, is like, ‘Where are we going with this movie? Let’s finish this thing,'” he explained. I don’t quite understand what he means here.

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Chu and his Wicked cast, namely Erivo, Grande, Michelle Yeoh and Ethan Slater, as well as producers Marc Platt and David Nicksay attended the National Board of Review Awards gala, where Wicked won best film and he won best director. Erivo and Grande also won a spotlight award, for which Grande said “True collaboration is honest, egoless and it leads with acceptance. It’s building and earning deep trust and nourishing that every step of the way with honesty and care. It’s leaving room for the feelings and questions and ideas of one another without the want to be right, but with curiosity and respect.”

Wicked begins with Glinda and Elphaba meeting at Shiz University, subsequently becoming roommates after Elphaba’s unintentional power display catches Madame Morrible’s eye and Glinda accidentally volunteers. Initial despisery turns into friendship just as Elphaba heads to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard, played by Jeff Goldblum. Elphaba finally masters her powers after realizing the Wizard’s grift and doing what he was unable. Escaping, she’s declared an enemy of the state. The film has become the highest-grossing stage musical adaptation in film history, and the highest-grossing musical film in the history of Universal Pictures, earning a Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and grossing $682.5 million globally on a $452.4 million domestic / $230 million international split. Those numbers are as of Tuesday, a week after its New Year’s Eve digital release. It’s a release that has gone so well that Universal has transparently reported a $26 million first day and $70 million first week of domestic digital sales, with price points of $30 to buy and $20 to rent the original or sing-along version of the film. It surpassed The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s $44 million by nearly 75%. With these sales numbers, Variety also mentioned there were still “two months” until the film’s Peacock release. With 120 day windows for several of Universal’s most recent releases, its arrival on the streamer is likely expected for Friday, March 21, but could be sooner.

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Source: Variety (1, 2)