‘Wicked’ will now open 5 days earlier

The day before Thanksgiving is not that girl anymore.

On Monday, Universal Pictures announced that it’s bumping Wicked‘s release date from Wednesday, Nov. 27, to the Friday before, Nov. 22.

The highly anticipated musical adaptation will now face off against Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II. Originally, Wicked was set to premiere opposite another musical property, Disney’s Moana 2, which is hitting theaters Nov. 27.

Based on the Broadway musical of the same name, Wicked tells the story of two witches of Oz, the misunderstood Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and the popular Glinda (Ariana Grande). The two meet while attending Shiz University and spark an unexpected friendship. But can their bonds withstand everything from political corruption to a love triangle?

The stage musical, based on a Gregory Maguire novel, has been split into two parts for its big-screen debut. Wicked Part Two will hit theaters on Nov. 26, 2025, with its premiere date remaining untouched from what was originally announced.

Now in its 20th year on Broadway, Wicked has delighted generations of audiences. Director Jon M. Chu, himself a fan, hopes to please longtime lovers of the stage musical while also building on its core story over the course of his movie’s two parts.

“What’s wonderful about the show is that you get an insight into why this woman becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, but you have only three hours to do it in,” Erivo previously told Entertainment Weekly. “With us, you have two movies. In this first movie, you really get to know [Elphaba] as a young lady and what pushes her to the thing that we get to know. The story gets to be opened. You really get to experience magic.”

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In addition to that magic, could Universal be setting itself up for a holiday edition of the Barbieheimer phenomenon?

This time, they have the frothy, fun movie bursting with pops of bright color (including pink!), and they’ll face off against Paramount’s darker, long-awaited Gladiator sequel. Start workshopping portmanteaus now — Wickiator? Gladwick?