‘Wicked: For Good’ Oscars snub explained

The Academy has Glenda and Elphaba saying ‘we’re not in the Oscars anymore’ after ‘Wicked: For Good’ was snubbed last week, with the box office hit sequel failing to secure a single nomination.

Comcast (CMCSA), who own NBC/Universal and are responsible for ‘Wicked: For Good,’ might take this as a slap in the face, given that its predecessor ‘Wicked’ racked up 10 nominations (including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress ‘noms) and two wins (Best Costumes, Best Production Design) at the 2024 Oscars.

That is, unless they foresaw that the Land of Oz-set sequel would be a box office smash hit and, uh, shall we say not so well regarded by critics. Hence why they divided the Wicked musical’s story in two, reaping untold (possibly billions) in additional profits. A reasonable theory, and in my estimation likely the truth (I’ve only been covering the 2025 Q4 blockbusters’ arms race the whole way). But – and it is a big but – there’s more to this story.

An anonymous Academy voter has spoken out, claiming it was Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s headline and meme-producing promotional tour that turned voters off:

“I was also just completely turned off by their promotional performances,” the anonymous voter told NewsNation. “They creeped a lot of people out and in their rush to feel authentic, came off as cosplaying.”

My in-depth read on the source’s claims, as well as what this means for the future of the Wicked-verse and Universal’s place among Disney (DIS), Warner Bros. (WBD), and other box office foes, follows.

Why the Oscars snubbed ‘Wicked: For Good’

‘Wicked: For Good’ received zero nominations at the Oscars despite being up for several Golden Globes. This snub by critics ran contrary to the film’s success at the actual box office, where it raked in a 30% larger domestic opening than ‘Wicked’ (2024).

Related: ‘Wicked: For Good’ box office shocks Disney, critics

Because of this box office brilliance, Comcast/NBC/Universal Studios is likely largely unbothered by the cold shoulder. The success of both films, which combined to earn over $1.3 billion in worldwide gross, laid the groundwork for future Oz-verse properties in the coming years. Michael Moses, Universal Studios CMO, underlined this in a recent interview with Vulture:

Heard, Mr. Moses – but the snub and negative critical response, both for the on-screen product and beyond, are worth examining as they will blockbuster strategy going forward.

For the on-screen product, critics have cited sequel fatigue, a lack of memorable songs, and a plotline that kept the two leads (played by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo) apart as factors as to why the Motion Picture Academy decided to wholly pass on ‘Wicked: For Good’.

Then, there are the theories and rumors circulating about the sequel’s oddball press tour.

‘Wicked: For Good’ press tour mistakes

“The movie wasn’t that good and (Erivo and Grande) sucked the air out of any red carpet they were on — and no one wanted to go through that again,” the anonymous Academy member continued per Paula Froelich of The Scoop. “Think of it this way: We were protecting Ariana from her anxiety — and Cynthia from having to intervene. Again.” 

The source was referring to Grande and Erivo’s now-internet-famous press tour behavior. From the origin of the ‘holding space’ meme, to lengthy discussions of each other’s auras, to several moments where Erivo came to Grande’s aide when Grande was suffering from anxiety in front of the press core, to silly/misinterpreted interview moments like their fear and dramatic response to a helicopter, the Wicked promotional tour was viral gold, enough so to deserve its own Buzzfeed rundown of the 17 most memorable moments.

More Disney:

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• AMC stock secretly relies on these upcoming Disney films

What a time to be alive. The takeaway for future blockbusters, even at the Disney or Universal level, is the need for their stars to not take themselves too seriously. It’s a small thing, but leasing audiences on all fronts will be a must in a crucial 2026 for big studios (and movie theaters, period).

‘Wicked: For Good’ opening, domestic box office numbers

‘Wicked: For Good’ blew expectations away when it came to its opening box office, exceeded expectations domestically (6th overall), and performed reasonably at the international box office, with its relative success diminishing in that order.

Internationally, the Wicked sequel’s success was overshadowed by Disney’s two big-budget sequels, ‘Zootopia 2’ and ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, both of which particularly resonated with international audiences (respective coverage linked).

Final Worldwide Box Office 2025

As you can see, when you add it all up ‘Wicked: For Good’ made a dent but didn’t rake in the massive international profits that buoyed Disney’s top three to their massive worldwide earnings (Ne Zha 2, the Chinese animated hit, beat all U.S. comers in international markets on the back of its staggering Chinese numbers).

That said, ‘Wicked: For Good’s opening box office was quite impressive, setting the tone for a competitive holiday season. To quote my opening weekend coverage:

 “Surprisingly, the second and final part of the Broadway musical-inspired film sensation even managed to outperform the first, as the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The U.S and Canada total of $150 million, one of the biggest domestic openings of the year… Last year the first ‘Wicked’ opened to $112.5 million domestically on the same pre-Thanksgiving weekend,” per The Wall Street Journal.

That’s no small feat, given that the film industry limped through Q3 (and Q4). My biggest takeaways: 1) The rest of the holiday slate is now under even greater pressure, and 2) blockbuster success strengthens NBCU’s sports-focused pole position.”

The first point ended up coming true, with Disney’s offerings rising to the challenge. The second – well, we will see as NBC rolls into 2026 with a strong sports schedule (The Winter Olympics, Premier League, and the NBA coverage are coming down the pike).

If Universal Studios wants to keep swinging with Disney, it’ll have to keep the hits coming. Doable, if they can keep their movie stars from being too too extra.

Related: Netflix Q4 earnings shift Warner Bros. deal pressure to Europe