Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo bid farewell to Wicked as blockbuster flies high at the box office

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo have said their final goodbyes to Wicked as Wicked: For Good hits cinemas.

The 32-year-old actress and Erivo, 38, paid an emotional tribute to the musical movie duology by bidding farewell to Oz and their respective characters, Glinda and Elphaba.

On Instagram, Grande shared some behind-the-scenes snaps from Wicked: For Good and added the caption: “Thank you, my sweet Glinda, for everything. I will love you always … Wicked: For Good is out now (sic).”

Erivo also took to social media to reflect on the journey she had been on with the two Wicked movies.

She penned: “I could write you an essay, a poem, Shakespearean prose, to describe what this journey has meant to me, what lessons this time has taught me, bought me.

“I could try to give a metric to the love I have felt and experienced. I could give a number to the stories I have heard. The truth is the numbers are too small and the words are not enough. So I’ll simply say this.

“Take my hand and walk with me to the end of this road paved with gold, and hopefully, the things that I’ve found might find you too. Thank you for letting me be your Elphaba. All my love, C (sic).”

The official Wicked account also paid tribute to Grande and Erivo by sharing a video montage of pair embracing and dancing on set, with the caption: “A friendship that changed us for good (sic).”

Since its theatrical release on November 21, 2025, Wicked: For Good has shattered box office records with a U.S. opening of $150 million and $76 million worldwide - giving the movie a total taking so far of $226 million.

Wicked: For Good’s impressive commercial performance has made it the biggest domestic debut for a stage-to-screen adaptation ever, topping its 2024 predecessor Wicked - which opened to $112.5 million.

Wicked: For Good - which is based on the second half of the Broadway musical Wicked - follows Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Grande) as their relationship is pushed to its breaking point when the Good Witch is forced to choose between her best friend and the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum).

The blockbuster also stars Jonathan Bailey as Prince Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq and Colman Domingo as the Cowardly Lion.

Director Jon M. Chu had also reflected on his two Wicked movies, and admitted he has “not processed” that his journey in Oz is over.

Speaking with People, he said: “When you live with something for five-plus years, and you dream about it and you wake up with nightmares right in front of you, it sticks with you. I have not processed it yet.

“Everyone was very emotional, and I couldn’t feel it yet. I was like, ‘No, I’ll see you next week.’ But I think the office is empty now, which is really sad.

“It’s one big story to me, and now, finally, I get to let it go.”