Glinda in full Glinda the Good garb looking up with a concerned expression in Wicked For Good
By
Alex Harrison
Published 17 minutes ago
Alex is the Senior Movies Editor, managing the New Movies team, as well as one of ScreenRant's Rotten Tomatoes-approved critics. After graduating from Brown University with a B.A. in English, he spent a locked-down year in Scotland completing a Master's in Film Studies from the University of Edinburgh, which he hears is a nice, lively city. He now lives in and works from Milan, Italy, conveniently a short train ride from the Venice Film Festival, which he first covered for SR in 2024.
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Wicked: For Good is finally here, and with it a crucial piece of the 2026 Oscar Race falls into place. The first film was a massive hit last year and was a major presence at the 2025 Academy Awards, picking up 10 nominations, behind Emilia Pérez but enough to tie for second-most with The Brutalist. It was considered a dark horse for Best Picture, but ultimately took home two statuettes for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.
The Academy's reluctance to award "part ones" was cited as working against Wicked, and Wicked: For Good's release date has been cemented on this year's Oscars calendar since. If Jon M. Chu's gamble to adapt the musical's two acts separately paid off, all the good will from the previous film would come rushing up to meet this one, and it could be a major force. Its two stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, were especially thought to be strong contenders, considering how close they'd already come to winning the first time around.
Though Wicked: For Good's reviews are positive, it's not as well-received as its predecessor, and the odds of it being a juggernaut alongside One Battle After Another, Hamnet, and Sinners is looking unlikely. But, the lead actors have still been the source of praise, and Grande remains a top prediction to win Best Supporting Actress.
That would, however, be a mistake by the Academy – twice over.
Glinda Isn't A Supporting Character In Wicked: For Good
Glinda acknowledging an applauding crowd in Wicked For Good
In the wake of Wicked's success, when all we could do was speculate about how Part Two would approach the rest of the material, there was a lot of discussion around the lead/supporting distinction for its two stars. One could always argue them as co-leads, of course, but Glinda definitely leaned toward a supporting role in what was primarily Elphaba's story – and some floated the possibility that this could be flipped in For Good.
Everyone seemed to forget this come Oscars prediction season, and not only did awards pundits keep Erivo and Grande in the same categories as before, but the narrative solidified around Grande as a potential frontrunner. At the moment, Hamnet's Jessie Buckley seems destined to run away with Best Actress, but Best Supporting is more of an open contest. One Battle After Another's Teyana Taylor and Regina Hall could split each other's focus, and Sentimental Value could lose the steam that might've powered Elle Fanning's campaign to a win. Grande could reasonably take this one home.
But, having seen Wicked: For Good, this is most definitely Glinda's movie. She gets the childhood flashbacks that Elphaba got in Wicked: Part One; she gets the bulk of the growth arc, with Elphaba not wavering much from her "Defying Gravity" epiphany. Erivo's Wicked Witch is hardly absent, but the same way the first movie leaned toward her character's perspective, the second one leans toward Glinda's.
Universal should be running Ariana Grande in lead, and (if not also in lead) Cynthia Erivo in supporting. But now that Grande has so much momentum in Best Supporting Actress, the campaign would never switch her around this late. Unfortunate in a year when there are some really deserving, true-supporting performances.
Ariana Grande Would Be Winning For The Wrong Wicked Movie
Glinda smiling as she is surrounded by adoring attendants in Wicked For Good
If Grande wins, the category wouldn't be the only error. The Academy would also be awarding her for the wrong film.
Both halves of Wicked were filmed together, so one could argue that both Glindas are one, single performance. But they are also quite different from each other. Wicked's Glinda is a primarily comedic performance with some dramatic beats, and For Good's Glinda is essentially the reverse.
Ariana Grande popped as significantly as she did last year because she's funny. The popstar had shown flashes of comedic talent previously, whether in acting roles or impressive SNL hosting appearances, but it had yet to be given a big-screen platform as significant as Wicked. Fans of the musical embraced her as Glinda right away, and Hollywood simultaneously welcomed her with much fanfare.
But, the Academy wasn't ready to award her for what was essentially her breakout acting role. Zoe Saldaña won Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Pérez, and as a variety of controversies sapped the enthusiasm for that film, it was finally having an opportunity to celebrate her after years of blockbuster success that powered her campaign. In other words, the perfect narrative to counter Grande's momentum.
Wicked: For Good gives the Academy another chance, and it seems like the enthusiasm for her hasn't died down much. But awarding her for the darker, more dramatic half of her performance doesn't really make up for the missed opportunity to honor what people loved most about her Glinda. If she wins, it would still feel like she's winning for Wicked: Part One rather than what she's actually doing in For Good, especially given the new film's weaker reception in general.
Grande at least seems to be getting it right – her next role is in Focker In-Law, the new sequel to the Meet the Parents movies, and it will give her a chance to continue flexing those comedic muscles. But the Oscars have already missed their chance to do the right thing, and trying to make up for it with a Best Supporting win in 2026 would just be making new mistakes.
9.0/10
8/10
Wicked: For Good
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed PG Drama Fantasy Romance Release Date November 21, 2025 Runtime 137 Minutes Director Jon M. Chu Writers Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire Producers Marc Platt, David Stone
11 Images
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) with a thoughtful frown in Wicked: For Good
Glinda (Ariana Grande) smiling in Wicked: For Good
Glinda (Ariana Grande) putting on her crown in Wicked: For Good
Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) playing in a marching band in Wicked: For Good
Glinda (Ariana Grande) walking down the aisle surrounded by yellow butterflies in Wicked: For Good
Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) staring into each other’s eyes up close in Wicked: For Good
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) flying on her broom in Wicked: For Good
Wicked For Good Teaser Thumbnail
Glinda (Ariana Grande) clutching a book to her chest in Wicked: For Good
Glinda (Ariana Grande) floating inside a shimmering bubble in Wicked: For Good
Glinda (Ariana Grande) looking thoughtful in Wicked: For GoodClose
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Cynthia Erivo
Elphaba
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Ariana Grande
Glinda
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Wicked: For Good
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The Oscars | Academy Awards
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