For Good’ Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score Drops As Film Opens In Theaters

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s Wicked: For Good isn’t defying gravity with Rotten Tomatoes critics the way the first Wicked movie did.

Almost a year to the day after director Jon M. Chu’s Wicked premiered on Nov. 22, 2024, Wicked: For Good opens in theaters nationwide on Friday. An adaptation of the classic 2003 Broadway musical Wicked, the first film and Wicked: For Good serve as prequel story to the L. Frank Baum book-turned-movie The Wizard of Oz before some plot elements of the story begin to intertwine with the new movie’s narrative.

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When the review embargo was lifted Tuesday for Wicked: For Good, the film initially had a 74% “fresh” critics’ score on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes based on 80 reviews. However, as more reviews from RT-approved critics began to roll in, the critics’ score began to drop.

As of Friday morning, the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score for Wicked: For Good is 69% “fresh” based on 203 reviews. Since Tuesday, an RT Critics Consensus has been added to the film’s review page that reads, “Taking one last lap down the yellow brick road, Wicked: For Good‘s darker tone and unhurried pacing sometimes get in the way, but this epic conclusion ultimately brings Elphaba and Glinda’s story home in rousing fashion.”

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While the RT critics’ score is losing altitude, the site’s Popcornmeter score remains at a stellar 97% fresh based on 5,000-plus verified user ratings — more than 2,500 more ratings than when RT publishing reviews on Tuesday.

An audience summary has also been added to RT, which reads, “A deeply cinematic culmination of Wicked, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande cast a spellbinding final enchantment — this time For Good.”

By contrast, the first Wicked film in 2024 earned an 88% “fresh” critics’ score on RT based on 404 reviews, while the Popcornmeter score came in at 95% based on 25,000 verified user ratings.

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Since more RT reviews will be added to the website, it’s possible that the critics’ score for Wicked: For Good could rise or drop even further. Whatever the case may be, Wicked: For Good has to gain much more favor from critics if it is going to get near the 88% “fresh” score of the first Wicked film.

What Do Some Of The New Reviews On RT Say About ‘Wicked: For Good’?

Kyle Smith of the Wall Street Journal is among the top critics on RT who gives Wicked: For Good a “fresh” rating on RT, writing, “That Wicked: For Good falls short of greatness doesn’t mean it’s bad. There’s plenty of cause to rejoicify, notably the visual splendor, the charming central friendship and some pretty songs, notably ‘For Good.’”

Aisha Harris of NPR also gives Wicked: For Good a “fresh” rating on RT, writing, “This installment is far from a total misfire — thank goodness Erivo and Grande are such captivating performers perfectly suited to these roles — but the over-padding and stuffing meant to justify this bifurcated packaging soon becomes readily apparent.”

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In his “fresh” review summary on RT, Peter Howell of the Toronto Star writes, “It is darker, denser and in many ways more interesting than its predecessor, though newcomers should beware: entering Oz here without context is like being dropped into a tornado.”

Wendy Ide of the Observer (U.K.) is among the top critics on RT who gives Wicked: For Good a “rotten” rating, writing in her review summary, “There is a crucial ingredient missing: humor. Without it, the spark is extinguished; the astringency that cut through the sentimentality of the first picture is gone.”

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Katie Walsh of the Tribune News Service also gives the film a “rotten” review, writing, “As it turns out, Wicked is not too big to fail. In fact, it may be all the excess baggage that weighs down the second installment, making it impossible for the sequel Wicked: For Good to defy gravity.”

Naveen Kumar of the Washington Post isn’t a big fan of Wicked: For Good, writing in his “rotten” review summary on RT, “Despite its packed agenda, the film can also feel meandering and directionless.”

Also starring Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode and Ethan Slater, Wicked: For Good, which is rated PG, is new in theaters on Friday.

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