When will you be able to stream 'Wicked' in the UK?
Something Wicked this way comes - the hotly anticipated musical adaptation has finally hit the big screen after years of anticipation, and already, the film is performing remarkably well.
The big-budget musical has already smashed box office records upon its release. Snatching the crown from Ridley Scott's similarly anticipated Gladiator II, Wicked debuted by taking in $114m (£90.68m) domestically and $164.2m (£130.6m) globally for Universal Pictures in its opening weekend. That made it the third-biggest opening weekend of the year, behind only Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2. These huge takings also set a record as the biggest grossing Broadway musical adaptation.
The Wicked film has been a long time coming, with the release date getting pushed back multiple times, the crew behind the scenes shifting, and the film eventually getting split into two parts. In the end, director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) took the helm, while superstars like Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum rounded out the main cast.
While it's clear many of us are heading to the cinema to watch Wicked, blockbusters hitting streaming services shortly after release is an increasingly common phenomenon, particularly after the Covid pandemic. For those among us who'd rather wait until Wicked is available to watch from the comfort of our own sofas, here's when we're likely to see Wicked available for streaming.
When will Wicked be streaming?
There is no official release date for Wicked to hit streaming services yet. Due to the buzz around the film and the sky-high expected box-office numbers, it will presumably be a couple of months before the movie becomes available to stream. Wicked will likely become available to watch at home sometime in early 2025.
Where will Wicked be streaming?
Since Wicked is a Universal Pictures production, it is almost certain that the movie will land at Peacock in the States when it finally starts streaming, given that all Universal movies head to this platform first.
Then, per an agreement that Universal Studios signed for all of their live-action films, the movie will likely move from Peacock to Prime Video after four months, where it will stay for almost a year.
It's not yet clear whether this arrangement is the same in the UK. However, if so, Now TV and Sky customers can access Peacock as part of their subscription service.
NOW customers in the UK are able to access Peacock with an Entertainment Pass, which costs £9.99 per month.
Meanwhile, Sky TV customers are able to access Peacock from their box at home.
However, if you’re not subscribed to any of these streaming services, there will also be video-on-demand options in 2025, where viewers can rent the film through platforms like Apple TV+.
How can I watch Wicked in theaters?
If you’re hoping to catch Wicked before it leaves cinemas, you can be sure to check your local cinemas for screening times. As the film is such a mammoth hit, you can be sure to find Wicked available to watch across numerous times and locations.
The film will be playing in standard 2D, 3D, RealD 3D, Dolby, and IMAX.
What is Wicked rated?
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has rated Wicked as PG, meaning parental guidance. It means the film is suitable for a younger audience, however, it does contain scenes of "mild threat and violence". It also tackles the issue of "discrimination".
In the BBFC's official podcast, a classifier said the sequence towards the end of the film, where Elphaba and Glinda try to escape from the Wizard in the Emerald City, contains armed guards and flying monkeys, which could appear scary to younger viewers.
When will Wicked: Part Two be arriving in theaters?
In case you weren’t aware, the Wicked film adaptation is actually being split into two parts, with the follow-up, titled Wicked: Part Two, scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 21, 2025.
Chu explained the reason for splitting the film back in 2022, saying, “Here’s what happened: as we prepared this production over the last year, it became increasingly clear that it would be impossible to wrestle the story of Wicked into a single film without doing some real damage to it. As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years.”
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