'Wicked Part 2' Gets Earlier Holiday Release Date

The wait between the two parts of the upcoming Wicked adaptation just got shorter. Wicked Part 2 will now premiere in theaters over Thanksgiving in 2025. The second half of the bifurcated musical adaptation was originally slated to be released on Christmas Day, 2025, but has now moved to November 26, just in time for the US Thanksgiving weekend. That puts its release date almost precisely a year after the first part drops, on November 27, 2024; it follows the announcement in March that Part 1 would itself move from Christmas 2024 to Thanksgiving 2024.

The long-awaited film is an adaptation of the long-running stage musical (itself an adaptation of the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire), which was split into two films last year in order to faithfully capture the stage production for the screen and to feature new musical numbers composed for the new adaptation. Wicked — which debuted on Broadway in 2004 and has been running ever since — presents an alternate take on L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz depicting the difficult upbringing of the green-skinned Elphaba and her rocky relationship with her friend Galinda, putting the former on the path to becoming the iconic villainess the Wicked Witch of the West, while the latter becomes the good witch Glinda.

Thanksgiving 2025: Wide-Open, For Now

Although 2025 release dates are highly subject to change, especially with the Writers Guild of America strike still ongoing, some films have staked their claim on the 2025 holiday season. By moving from Christmas, Wicked Part 2 avoids Avatar 3 and an unrevealed Star Wars movie, which are currently slated for release that holiday season. However, moving up to Thanksgiving puts it in competition with an as-yet-unannounced Disney animated film.

Both parts of Wicked will be directed by Jon M. Chu. They will star Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Galinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz. They will be produced by Marc Platt (La La Land), and David Stone (Kimberly Akimbo), with David Nicksay, Stephen Schwartz, and Jared LeBoff as executive producers. Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz will adapt the stage production for the screen.

Wicked Part 1 will hit theaters on November 27, 2024, while Part 2 will now premiere on November 26, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch Collider's interview with director Chu below.