Ariana Grande might be in the running for an Oscar after her appearance in the big screen adaption of the hit Broadway musical Wicked, but more importantly, she’s in the running for an even more prestigious title, Granddaughter of the Year.
The last week has been extremely busy for the superstar, with several press appearances around the world, not just in the U.S. However, despite the grueling press circuit that Wicked has required, Grande still made time for family, taking a plane just to watch the film with her nonna, Marjorie Grande.
In a post to Instagram, the actress shared that she had flown back to Boca Raton, Florida so that she could watch the movie with her Nonna at the cinema she attended while growing up, Cinemark 20. From the looks of her tags, she was also accompanied by Ethan Slater, and her brother, Frankie Grande.
Ariana’s surprise visit was the perfect reason for Nonna to head out and see Wicked, and she was not disappointed. In fact, in another post Grande shared that her grandmother was an especially big fan of the Sugar Glider’s drum solo during the movie, even tagging its director Jon M. Chu to pass on Nonna’s praise. “Thrilled to report that when the sugar glider had her drum solo Nonna exclaimed loudly ‘oh i LOVE that.’”
Wicked is finally showing all around the world, bringing the longtime Broadway hit to a whole new generation of fans. In the film, Grande plays Glinda, and is joined by a stacked musical cast including Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater, and many more.
In just its opening weekend, Wicked dominated the domestic box office, taking first place with a giant starting score of $114 million. Globally the movie has already made $164 million, a number which is only going to be eclipsed further in the coming days. It’s really shaping up to be one of the biggest movies of the year.
Critics have been showering the film with praise for its incredible performances and stunning visuals, but they aren’t the only ones who have fallen for its spell. Audiences almost unanimously love this film, and right now the movie is sitting inches away from a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, currently locked in at 97%. So it’s definitely not just the Grandes who are having a wonderful time watching this movie.
It’s great to finally see Wicked here in cinemas after a rocky development plagued with delays. The movie was initially announced back in 2012, however, its production was pushed back for several reasons, ultimately getting things off the ground in 2021. But the best part is that you won’t have to wait nearly that long for a sequel.
Wicked Part Two is set to be released on Nov. 21, 2025, so in less than a year you’ll be getting another part of this story. Sweet, right? If you want to waste no time and get familiar with what goes down in part one, then you can head out to theaters today and enjoy the movie. Tickets for Wicked are available in all of the usual places.