The musical sequel Wicked: For Good is one of the most anticipated new movie releases of the year, and the first footage was screened exclusively for attendees at CinemaCon 2025.
Similar to the Broadway musical it is based upon, Universal's Wicked adaptation is split into two parts, with the first chapter hitting cinemas to rave reviews in November 2024.
The second and final part, Wicked: For Good, continues the story of best friends Elphaba and Glinda, the witches who become legends in The Wizard of Oz.
Audiences React To First Wicked: For Good Trailer
CinemaCon 2025 (an event for the worldwide motion picture industry) took place earlier in April in Las Vegas, and along with exciting announcements and star appearances, the event also screened new trailer footage from upcoming films for attendees, including Wicked: For Good.
Universal has yet to release the Wicked: For Good footage online, but attendees at Universal's CinemaCon panel were free to share their thoughts on the footage on social media.
io9's Germain Lussier shared on X that "people are going to lose it," adding that the Wicked 2 footage showed Fiyero hunting Elphaba and marrying Glinda:
"The 1st footage from 'Wicked: For Good' just played at Cinema Con. Lots of Fiyero: hunting Elphaba, him turning on the wizard, he and Glinda getting married? Some scenes with the leads together talking about friendship. Lots of Wizard of Oz. People are going to lose it."
According to Fandango's Erik Davis, the new Wicked film looks "darker, deeper, [and] scarier:"
"'Bring me the broom of the Wicked Witch of the West!' We just watched a full trailer for 'Wicked: For Good' - definitely darker, deeper, scarier. It teases a bunch of the songs. Looks fantastic. This November."
The Reel Rejects' Coy Jandreau said they are "all in" on Wicked: For Good, revealing the new film looks "grander" and "more lush:"
"Super stoked for Wicked fans. Really shocked by how much I loved the first the next looks even grander bolder and more lush. 'Wicked: For Good' All In."
The first Wicked movie had a historic box office run, and entertainment critic Chalice Williams said the second film looks like it will "do numbers:"
"Uhm wow Universal just concluded their presentation with showing us the FIRST trailer for 'WICKED: FOR GOOD'.... this is about to do NUMBERS! So beautiful!"
Offscreen Central's Kenzie Vanunu said Wicked 2 appears to be a "massive step up" from the first film:
"At least from the trailer 'Wicked: For Good' visually looks like a massive step up from the first film. The backlighting does not appear as bad. Will chat with wicked experts to figure out the song lmao...
The hand holding shot recreated with elphaba and glinda in the 'Wicked: For Good' trailer... cinema!!"
"Propaganda" and "politics" appear to be two major themes in Wicked: For Good, according to film critic Jillian Chilingerian, who also said the vocals "pierce your soul:"
"'Wicked: For Good' appears to expand themes of propaganda and politics in Oz mixed with the consequences both Glinda & Elphaba face for their choices in a tonally darker, stylistically improved film about friendship with vocals to pierce your soul, this film will shatter us."
According to The Holo Files, the crowded room at CinemaCon was "crying" and "roaring with cheers" for the Wicked 2 trailer:
"The first trailer for 'Wicked: For Good' was presented to the CinemaCon crowd. Attendees were crying and roaring with cheers after the trailer was shown. A trailer eliciting this kind of reaction. Wow."
Journalist Scott Menzel highlighted Ariana Grande's singing in the trailer, which he said was "pretty spectacular," and added that the sequel "delivers all the feels of the first film:"
"The 'Wicked: For Good' trailer delivers all the feels of the first film and a whole lot more. It’s one of those trailers that everyone who loves the first film will play on repeat for weeks. Ariana Grande also sings throughout the trailer which is pretty spectacular in itself."
CineMovie TV revealed a mild spoiler for Wicked: For Good, confirming that "Dorothy and the crew" appear on-screen in the sequel:
"New 'Wicked: For Good' trailer screened and Dorothy and the crew appear in the preview. So exciting."
Several critics also shared their reaction to the trailer on The John Campea Show, revealing it received "the loudest crowd roar for anything we've seen so far," although they criticized the lack of Jonathan Bailey's Fiyero in the footage.
Wicked: For Good Is Set to Make Magic
Wicked was a resounding success for Universal, gaining ten Oscar nominations (and winning two) and becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 2024.
The pressure is on for the sequel to deliver an equal if not more epic performance, and judging by CinemaCon attendees' reactions to the first footage, Wicked: For Good is on track to meet those expectations.
The first half of the musical is typically considered to be more popular than the second, meaning Wicked: For Good has some heavy lifting to do with its songs and story material. But if the CinemaCon trailer is anything to go by, the film will deliver even more of what audiences love about the first one, even improving on certain aspects.
It's unclear when Universal will release the first Wicked: For Good trailer to the public. The first trailer for Wicked was released at the Super Bowl in 2024, but the second film did not follow the same pattern due to visual effects work delaying the trailer's appearance at Super Bowl LIX.
However, now that the trailer has screened at CinemaCon, it's likely it will be screened for audiences in the next few months, potentially ahead of one of Universal's other blockbuster films like How to Train Your Dragon or Jurassic World Rebirth.
Wicked: For Good will be released in cinemas on November 21, 2025.
