The highly anticipated film version of the popular novel and Broadway musical "Wicked" has finally arrived in theaters, and it's already clear this is "the one the Wizard has been waiting for."
Editor's note: Spoilers ahead. If you haven't seen the movie, stop here!
As fans excitedly flock to watch the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good's origin story get silver-screen treatment, there's early general consensus that 'Wicked' delivers on every ounce of magic on offer.
It also comes with an unexpected twist -- one that not even super fans expected.
As the opening title graphic notes, this film represents the first "act" of the full story, which serves as the prequel to "The Wizard of Oz."
Such terminology feels understandable within a production following the structure of a Broadway musical, and some fans wondered whether the two-hour-and-40-minute movie would fall into two acts.
But at the end of the movie -- and a major cliffhanger -- viewers learn about a forthcoming second movie: the second part of a two-part series. This is different than the musical, during which the full story is told.
That surprise may have shaken viewers, but it hasn't dampened 'Wicked' excitement or anticipation of Part 2.
According to CNBC, "Wicked" tallied $19.2 million ahead of opening weekend at the domestic box office, all from advance screenings during the week. A domestic opening weekend of between $120 million and $140 million is expected, according to box-office analysts.
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When does part 2 of Wicked come out?
Good news: there will be a Part 2. Bad news: you'll have to wait a whole year for it.
Act two of the "Wicked" movie is scheduled to hit the big screen on Nov. 21, 2025.
The release date marks one year (minus a day) after the first installment which premiered on Friday, Nov. 22.
What do we know about part 2 so far?
The film's first act ends the same way the musical's first act.
Elphaba delivers her iconic performance of "Defying Gravity," in which she flies off on a broomstick after she and Glinda learn the Wizard is nothing but a power-hungry fraud.
The second act is expected to take the audience into Dorothy's adventure from the perspective of Elphaba, who is now feared by the citizens of Oz.
"The first tells how Elphaba becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, and the second tells how her best friend, Glinda, becomes authentically good," Marc Platt teases in the production notes.
