Jon M. Chu is defying gravity and box office projections in equal measure, with Wicked: For Good taking flight on its broomstick and dropping a house on the competition in 2025.
In a year dominated by A Mincecraft Movie, Wicked: For Good has secured itself the second-biggest opening of the year and beaten the live-action Lilo & Stitch with an impressive $150 million in the USA.
Surpassing its predecessor with a global take of $226 million (up from the first movie's $164.2 million) on its opening weekend, the Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo-led ensemble overtook the original to become the most successful Hollywood adaptation of a Broadway show.
While there's no escaping the popularity of Wicked: For Good, that hasn't stopped a storm of controversy.
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For those who've seen Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's musical of the same name, they knew what was about to go down as Chu brought act two of the Broadway behemoth to life on the silver screen.
Unlike 1939's The Wizard of Oz, making a household name of Judy Garland and painting Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West as an out-and-out villain, Wicked turns Erivo's Elphaba into a misunderstood victim. At the heart of the story is her friendship with Grande's Glinda, and although that's platonic, there is a love interest in the form of Jonathan Bailey's Fiyero.
Bailey has just earned the honor of being the first openly gay man to be named People's 'Sexiest Man Alive', but apparently, not everyone wants to see his rippling abs.
One scene toward the middle of the film is accompanied by the ballad called "As Long As You’re Mine". The steamy scene involves the pair getting frisky, with internet memes joking about Elphaba's 'sex cardigan'.
Over on X, one person claims that their friend saw Wicked: For Good in the United Arab Emirates and was met with a much more covered-up version of Fiyero.
A screenshot shows off some questionable CGI as a topless Bailey retains his modesty.
Even though Wicked: For Good might've been slightly censored, other movies have been outright banned in the UAE. This includes Pixar's Lightyear due to a same-sex kiss, as well as Sony's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
It's not clear why the latter has been banned, although it’s thought to be due to its LGBTQ+ themes and transgender messaging.
Similarly, the chart-topping Barbie was banned because it promoted LGBTQ+ and transgender characters/actors.
Other movies, including Eternals, Napoleon, and House of Gucci, have also faced censorship in the UAE due to sexually suggestive scenes or content.
This wouldn't be the first time Wicked has been censored in the Middle East. When the first movie came out in 2024, it was reported that it had been pulled from listings the day before it was supposed to release.
There was rampant speculation that this was due to the movie's LGBTQ+ cast, and although it eventually started playing a few days later, some feared it would be banned.
Finally, cinemagoers in the United Kingdom were faced with a trigger warning when the first movie came out. The British Board of Film Classification pointed to Elphaba's green skin and explained: "Seeing beloved characters being mistreated, especially when Elphaba’s skin colour is used to demonise her as the ‘Wicked Witch’, may be upsetting and poignant for some audiences.”
That same warning was MIA this time around, but still, Wicked: For Good got a PG rating from the BBFC because "it is implied that a character melts when doused in water."