WICKED Movie Footage Shown at CinemaCon With First Looks at 'Defying Gravity' & 'Popular'

The first footage of the Wicked movie was shown at CinemaCon in Las Vegas last night.

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the first clip shown was Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba walking hand-in-hand down a long corridor. The rest of what was shown was rough footage from the film, as they are still in production.

Variety reports that audio of "Defying Gravity" and "Popular" were played, giving attendees a first listen to Grande and Erivo singing Stephen Schwartz's iconic music.

Another clip showed Michelle Yeoh as Madam Morrible training Erivo's Elphaba on how to use her magical powers. In the clip, Morrible says: "Once you learn to harness your emotions, the sky is the limit."

The featurette also gave audiences a taste of the massive set, including shots of Elphaba roaming the halls of Shiz Univeristy beofre finding Glinda, who presents her with the iconic pointy hat. A first look at Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard was also revealed, as were shots of Grande in her Glinda bubble.

A portion of dialogue from "Popular" was also shown, in which Glinda tells Elphaba that "pink goes good with green," while putting a flower behind her hair. "You really don't have to do that," Elphaba says, to which Glinda responds, "I know. That's what makes me so nice."

Attendees were also treated to behind-the-scenes footage of Erivo flying on a broomstick as Elphaba, a look at the flying monkies, and Emerald City.

Chu also revealed that they had planted nine million tulips to cover the set, rather than using CGI.

"Wicked is about change, and it's necessary for things to get better," Chu said in interview footage that played in between movie clips. He stated that Grande will "leave you breathless" and Erivo will "break your heart."

The footage was shown exclusively to the audience at CinemaCon and will not be shared online.

Now in production in the U.K., the first part of the two Wicked movies will be released on November 27, 2024. The second part of the film will be released on December 25, 2025.

Also appearing in the film is Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose.

Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James will play Shiz University classmates Pfannee and ShenShen, respectively, with Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, Aaron Teoh as Avaric, Michael Carmichael as Nikidik, and Adam James.

Before Dorothy, before the flying house, and before the yellow brick road, there was Elphaba and Galinda. Born with emerald-green skin, Elphaba is smart, fiery, misunderstood and possesses extraordinary talent. When circumstances force her to room with the bubbly blonde and exceptionally popular, Galinda, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships.