Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Lead ‘Wicked’ to 4 Golden Globe Nominations

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As a longtime fan of musicals and the Wicked franchise, I couldn’t be more thrilled about the Golden Globe nominations for the film adaptation! Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande truly brought their characters to life on screen, and it’s wonderful to see them recognized for their exceptional performances.

Wicked continues to fly high, racking up four 2025 Golden Globe nominations.

In a surprising turn of events, the blockbuster movie directed by Jon M. Chu received a nomination for Best Picture under the category of Musical or Comedy. It was no less expected that its leading actresses, Cynthia Erivo (as Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (as Galinda/Glinda), were each nominated in two categories: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical or Comedy, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture.

In its second year, Wicked was nominated for both cinematic and box office recognition in a category. The previous year, the film Barbie, which topped the box office of 2023, received the first such award. Released in theaters on November 22, 2024, Wicked broke records as the musical adaptation with the highest opening weekend, grossing approximately $114 million at the domestic box office. (Regarding the unconfirmed online gossip, it was neither confirmed nor denied that Grande and Erivo were compensated equally for their captivating lead roles.)

As a devoted admirer, it’s a bit disappointing to see Chu and the film’s writers overlooked in the directing and writing categories, despite the impressive performance in acting. The musical extravaganza Wicked, which rocketed to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 last week, unfortunately wasn’t eligible for any music categories due to using only pre-existing songs from the original stage show. However, Chu has hinted at two brand new tunes gracing part two of this enchanting production. The director, alas, can’t reveal much about these melodies as of now, but he did share they’re simply “fantastic.

The upcoming films “Wicked” and its sequel “Wicked: Part Two,” due in November 2025, narrate an unheard tale about the witches of Oz. These movies are derived from the 2003 musical of the same name, which itself was adapted from Gregory Maguire’s best-selling novel. Winnie Holzman, who wrote the script for the stage production, collaborated with Dana Fox to pen the screenplay for Chu’s movie adaptation. Stephen Schwartz, an Academy Award-winning composer and lyricist, revisited the show to transform the musical for the big screen. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who played Elphaba and Glinda on Broadway, respectively, made brief appearances in the film.

The production company responsible for the Golden Globes, Dick Clark Productions, is co-owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a partnership between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge, which also controls The Hollywood Reporter.

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2024-12-09 19:24