Wicked‘s lack of wins at the 2025 Oscars has rendered it this year’s version of another successful movie from the 96th Academy Awards. The winners of the 2025 Oscars proved to be those connected to Anora, with that film receiving the most wins on the night with five. Beyond that, though, the overall ceremony was perfect for celebrating the last year in film, with many vying for the chance to join the many great Best Picture winners of recent Oscars ceremonies.

Wicked was one such movie, and it went down as one of the most nominated movies celebrated at the 97th Academy Awards. The ending of Wicked and the long wait for a continuation it ushered in did not dissuade Academy members from giving it the plaudits it deserved, thanks to the film’s total of 10 nominations at the ceremony. As the wait for Wicked: For Good‘s story continues, the first film has cemented itself as a repeat of a $1.4+ billion movie from last year’s Oscars due to the overall lack of wins both received.

Wicked’s Fate At The Oscars Make The Movie This Year’s Version Of Barbie

The Two Are Tied Together By A Disappointing Oscars Turnout

The other movie in question is Barbie, which was released in 2023 to critical acclaim and strong commercial numbers. At the 2024 Oscars ceremony, Barbie received eight nominations, yet it only found itself winning one of them in the Best Original Song category for “What Was I Made For?” This is somewhat of a repeat of Wicked, which, despite its 10 nominations, only won for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.

This meant that both movies lost out on all the major categories. Wicked and Barbie both received nominations for Best Picture in their respective years and shared Best Supporting Actress nominations for Ariana Grande and America Ferrera, respectively. Of the typical big Oscar categories, the former was nominated for Best Actress, while the latter received nods for Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. None of these categories were won by either film, linking them together.

Wicked and Barbie are fairly similar films, making their Oscars fate even more coincidental. Both projects became huge box office successes, and their focus on musical performances – such as Grande and Erivo’s Oscars 2025 performance – still gave them big presences at their respective ceremonies. Unfortunately, neither of the big-budget movies could overcome their compeтιтors.

Why Wicked Only Won Two Academy Awards

Wicked Is Not A Typical Oscar Movie

Concerning why Wicked only won two Academy Awards, the answer is fairly simple. For its wins, Wicked‘s production design and costume design were the standouts in their categories. The production design of Wicked was likely awarded an Oscar due to the film’s dedication to practicality, placing it above other predicted winners like Dune: Part Two. Where the costume design award is concerned, Wicked is a high fantasy movie, meaning the various otherworldly, colorful locations allowed for a vast array of costumes, making the film stand above its peers in that category.

Regarding its losses in the so-called big categories, Wicked is not a typical Oscar fare movie. It is no secret that more big-budget, blockbuster-style films are somewhat more overlooked than smaller, independent projects come awards season, and Wicked is certainly more of the former. Furthermore, only 10 musicals have won Best Picture in the past, meaning Wicked had an uphill battle there. Erivo’s Best Supporting Actress nomination was unlikely to be awarded over Emilia Pérez‘s Zoe Saldaña, with the latter film receiving the most nominations of any at the ceremony. Overall, Wicked had an uphill battle.

Wicked & Barbie Are Still Very Successful Movies

In spite of all this, it is worth noting that Wicked and Barbie are still highly successful movies. Wicked earned over $720 million at the worldwide box office, which Barbie doubled, proving how both were successful in the eyes of general audiences. Their respective Oscar wins are a good indicator of that, and while it is a shame that neither won in a big category, the Oscars are not the be-all and end-all of filmmaking. It would have been awesome if either Wicked or Barbie had snagged a big category win, but both can count themselves as success stories regardless.