Wicked Part 1 is primed to be one of the most ‘Popular’ and successful movies of 2024, and if you already can’t wait to watch it on streaming, there’s one platform you need to keep an eye on.
In just one short day, Jon M. Chu’s long-awaited musical adaptation will hit cinemas nationwide, finally bringing the story of Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the future Wicked Witch of the West, to the big screen.
Its box office projections are huge: between huge pre-sales in the US, big bookings in international territories, and screenings selling out across the world, it could make as much as $200 million worldwide in its first weekend. That’d be nearly as much as Deadpool & Wolverine, already one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.
In other words, it feels like everyone wants to see the new movie. Whether you’re hoping to wait to watch it at home or you want to know when you’ll be able to revisit it on streaming, there’s a few things you should know.
How to watch Wicked
Wicked will be available exclusively in cinemas nationwide from Friday, November 22.
If you haven’t already booked tickets for its opening weekend… good luck. It may be debuting alongside Gladiator 2, but Wicked is carrying way more hype; it’s a must-see family film, plus it’s based on the second-biggest Broadway musical of all time (it’s just behind The Lion King).
Just know if you get tickets, it’ll be worth the wait. In our Wicked review, we said it’s “possibly the cinematic event of the year” and warrants a trip to your local theater.
Where to stream Wicked
Wicked is a Universal Pictures movie, so it should be available to stream on Peacock before any other platform.
Peacock is owned by NBCUniversal, and it’s had exclusive first access to the studio’s films since 2022. However, in 2023, it split its Pay-One rights between Peacock and Prime Video.
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Don’t worry about trying to understand the terms and conditions of that deal, it’s this simple: after four months on Peacock, movies will shift over to Prime Video for 10 months, before returning to Peacock for another four months. After that 18-month window ends, films can be shopped to other platforms like Netflix.
Wicked streaming date depends on its box office performance
As for when Wicked will be available to stream, it entirely depends on how well it performs at the box office – if it’s pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars each week, don’t expect it on streaming any time soon.
The absolute earliest it could drop on Peacock would be 45 days after its theatrical release – that’d be January 6, 2025.
Don’t mark that date in your calendars, though. As noted above, it’s set to be a monster at the box office that could dominate multiplexes through the holidays, fending off the likes of Sonic 3, Mufasa, and Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim (cinemas are already asking viewers to stop singing in screenings).
Let’s take Despicable Me 4, another Universal Pictures release that’s also one of the biggest movies of 2024, grossing $968 million worldwide. It hit cinemas on July 3 and didn’t come to Peacock until October 31 – that’s 120 days, the official start of the Pay-One Window.
So, in other words, Wicked probably won’t be available on streaming until March 2025. However, you may be able to buy or rent it digitally sooner than that, so just keep your eyes peeled.
Before it hits cinemas, make sure you prepare your bladder for the Wicked runtime, find out if Wicked is suitable for kids, and read more about what to expect in Wicked Part 2.