A mother recently made headlines after she and her children walked out of a screening of the new Wicked sequel due to content she found inappropriate for her family.
The latest installment in the Wicked franchise, titled “Wicked: For Good,” has been performing exceptionally well at the box office since its November 21st release. The film has already surpassed the original movie’s opening weekend performance, earning an impressive $226 million globally compared to the first film’s $164.2 million debut.
What’s particularly notable about this sequel’s performance is the shift in domestic versus international earnings. While the original film earned significantly more overseas ($114 million) than domestically ($50.2 million), the sequel has reversed this trend. The new film generated $150 million from 4,115 North American theaters, setting a new record for Broadway musical adaptations.
Internationally, the film pulled in $76 million, making it the second-biggest US opening of the year. It trails only “A Minecraft Movie” ($162 million) but surpassed “Lilo & Stitch” ($146 million). The success has also generated early Oscar buzz for stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who could potentially make history with consecutive nominations for the same characters.
Challenging Promotional Tour
The film’s success comes despite a tumultuous promotional campaign. During the Singapore red carpet premiere, security concerns arose when an Australian vlogger breached barriers and inappropriately grabbed Ariana Grande. Cynthia Erivo quickly intervened, and the individual was subsequently arrested and sentenced to nine days in jail, followed by a permanent ban from Singapore.
Additionally, Grande contracted COVID-19 during the later stages of the world tour, forcing her to cut short several scheduled promotional appearances.
Parent’s Concerns Spark Debate
Despite the commercial success, the film has faced some criticism from parents regarding its content. One mother, Sara Burnett, shared her experience on social media after leaving the theater with her children during the movie.
Burnett explained her decision on Instagram, stating: “My honest review on the movie Wicked: For Good… I am shook with how they handled the movie. Now hear me out – we LOVE theatre and musicals. We love appreciating the talents and God given gifts that people have.”
However, she continued: “But gosh I am not sitting in a movie that is casting legit spells over me and my family and allowing my children to watch scenes where men are sexually taking off women’s clothing and music that is talking about them laying in bed together.”
Burnett also expressed concern about what she perceived as authentic spell-casting in the film, citing religious reasons for her discomfort. “I have a feeling that the spells cast in this movie weren’t just some made up words… they had purpose in them! The Bible tells us to stay far away from that,” she wrote.
Mixed Public Response
Burnett’s decision has generated varied reactions from other parents and moviegoers. Some criticized her choice, with one person commenting: “It’s your own fault… the plot and content of Wicked is widely available and everyone knew this was coming in part two. You had every opportunity to do your research on whether the content aligned with your values.”
Another supporter questioned: “Why wouldn’t you research it ahead of time if you have concerns about content?”
However, other parents expressed support for her decision. One fellow mother responded: “I’m a mom who never took my daughter to see it. Proud of you for standing up and leaving.” Another added: “Totally respect this! We went, but my radar was on alert and some things really bugged me.”
Understanding the Content Differences
The current Wicked films carry a PG rating from the Motion Picture Association for “action/violence, some suggestive material and thematic material.” However, it’s worth noting that the source material differs significantly from the movie adaptations.
Gregory Maguire’s original Wicked novels are considerably more adult-oriented than both the stage musical and film versions. The books explore mature themes including sexuality, complex political situations, religious questioning, violence, and moral ambiguity. They contain content such as sexual encounters, references to adult themes, family dysfunction, and psychological trauma.
In contrast, both the Broadway musical and the recent film adaptations have been crafted to be more family-friendly. Much of the adult content from the novels has been removed or significantly toned down to achieve the PG-13 rating. The movies focus more on accessible themes like friendship, personal destiny, and justice while softening the romantic elements and streamlining the political commentary.
As the Wicked franchise continues to find success at the box office, the incident highlights the ongoing conversation about content expectations and the importance of parents researching films before bringing children to see them, especially when adaptations may differ from their original source material.