Much like the 2023 Barbie movie and the current Taylor Swift Eras Tour, Wicked, the film adaptation of the Broadway hit that releases in theaters on Nov. 22, is positioned to become the next monoculture moment.

Barbie wasn’t just a box office hit, amassing $1.4 billion in ticket sales, it was a cultural phenomenon that united people with its bubblegum-pink hues, themes of female empowerment, and “I am Kenough” catchphrases and memes. The film was so successful that it was credited with bringing crowds back to movie theaters. 

Barbie is an example of monoculture, a phenomenon that happens when entertainment becomes so widespread that it becomes a shared cultural experience.

Also enjoying monoculture status is Taylor Swift. The pop star is seemingly everywhere, from the Eras Tour, which has entertained over four million Swifties from all walks of life to exchange friendship bracelets and sing along to hits like “Cruel Summer” and “Anti-Hero,” to  her eleventh studio album — 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department — which became the most-streamed album in a single day and the fastest to hit a billion streams on Spotify. 

Wicked has potential to tap into a similar zeitgeist, harnessing the power of social media, fan-driven content, but most of all, nostalgia. 

For those familiar with L. Frank Baum’s original 1900 children’s book, The Wizard of Oz, or Gregory Maguire’s 1995 revisionist novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the 2003 Broadway musical Wicked presented a fresh perspective on the tale with music ready-made for sing-alongs, like “Defying Gravity,” and two strong female protagonists (and their unlikely friendship at Shiz University). 

The Wicked musical – starring acclaimed Broadway actresses Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively – was a massive success, grossing $3.2 billion at the box office, becoming the fourth longest running show in Broadway history, and winning three Tony Awards in 2004, including Best Actress for Menzel, Best Scenic Design, and Best Costume Design. 

The musical introduces the iconic villain Elphaba, a misunderstood and gifted green-skinned girl, and her counterpart, the popular, bubbly, and pink-clad Glinda, as they go through magical training together. 

Elphaba and Glinda’s complex characters — they’re both strong and flawed — embody the nuanced reality that people are rarely all good or all bad, transcending the typical Disneyesque good-versus-evil trope. Their signature colors — pink and green — reveal the dynamic nature of people, demonstrating that morality is rarely black and white. 

The two-part movie adaptation, directed by Jon M. Chu, features Tony Award-winning singer and actress Cynthia Erivo as Eplhaba, and pop star Ariana Grande as Glinda. 

The highly anticipated film is already generating buzz, especially among fans who’ve grown up with the 20-year old Wicked, and those who have even performed in Wicked musicals, like BOHS’s choir students.

Megan Smylie (‘26), section leader in Spellbound and member of Masquerade, performed as Glinda in a Wicked-themed medley to close out Show Choir’s final fall performance on Sept. 28. Smylie, who wowed audiences as Glinda, plans to see the movie with her friends. Smylie has “really high expectations for the music” and believes that “the [actors] they cast for the movie will be really good.” 

The Wicked experience goes beyond the stage and screen. In the weeks leading up to the film, it was impossible to miss the ubiquitous branding and tie-ins, from Starbucks’ special edition pink and green drinks, to Stanley’s Elphaba- and Glinda-themed tumblers, to Target toy aisles packed with dolls and playsets.

“The Wicked merch [makes] me excited, because there is a lot of hype surrounding the movie, and it’s making me want to see if [it lives] up to its hype,” Brynley Ogdon (‘28), member of Spellbound and Tiffany’s choirs, said. 

Because movie theaters are far more abundant than Broadway stages, even more people will have an opportunity to fall under Wicked’s spell. And on Dec. 25, Wicked will release on 1,000 screens for interactive sing-alongs.  

With a ticket to opening night already in hand, Ogdon and her friends plan on dressing up as the musical’s characters and joining the opening-night-crowds. “The music is honestly amazing,” Ogdon said. “I really think that the movie will do it justice.” 

With fans like Ogdon, Smylie, and the many millions who have grown up with Elphaba and Glinda and the musical’s iconic songs, Wicked has the potential to “defy gravity” and join the magic of monoculture.

This story was originally published on The Wildcat on November 21, 2024.