Wicked: For Good‘s runtime has officially been confirmed ahead of its wide theatrical release on November 21. The follow-up to 2024’s smash hit Wicked, the second half of the stage-to-screen adaptation will depict Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda dealing with a fractured friendship amid a worsening conflict in Oz.
Per AMC, Wicked: For Good‘s runtime is confirmed to be 2 hours and 18 minutes, somewhat surprising given Wicked‘s lengthy runtime of 2 hours and 40 minutes. The Broadway show, which was split into two parts for its big screen adaptation, lasts about 2 hours and 45 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.
The first movie running almost as long as the show itself, but only covering half of the story, raised some eyebrows last year, but this did not stop Wicked from smashing box office records and earning rave reviews. The extended runtime of both movies has allowed the adaptation to flesh out some elements of the show that are rushed.
Additionally, Wicked: For Good‘s runtime accounts for Elphaba and Glinda’s new songs, the тιтles of which have been revealed to be “No Place Like Home” and “Girl in the Bubble,” respectively. The next movie is also reportedly trying new things, including changing Elphaba’s sister Nessarose’s (Marrise Bode) storyline and splitting “Thank Goodness” into two musical numbers.
What This Runtime Means For Wicked: For Good
It makes sense that the first half of Wicked would end up with a longer runtime, though the second half is arguably where more could be added to the story. There are more, longer songs in the first act of the Broadway production, while the second act doesn’t fully detail Elphaba’s efforts to combat the Wizard’s (Jeff Goldblum on screen) regime.
That being said, Wicked: For Good is still a pretty long movie. The surprising part is that it didn’t cross the two and a half hour mark. Thus, it still has plenty of time to flesh out the dynamics between the two leads and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), show more of Elphaba’s life as the Wicked Witch of the West — and, of course, include more showstopping songs.
Our Take On Wicked: For Good’s Runtime
Frankly, there are things from the first Wicked movie that could have been cut (like large parts of the flying monkey chase sequence through the Emerald Palace). But for a nearly three-hour movie, it was impressively engaging and didn’t feel like it dragged on while watching it in theaters for the first time.
Wicked: For Good has less but promising material to work with, and given its slightly reduced runtime and how well director Jon M. Chu and producer Marc Platt handled the first half, I expect the follow-up to be just as riveting and well-paced. Maybe it could even be better from a storytelling perspective because of this runtime.
