About this episode
<p>“Wicked” was one of the biggest movies of 2024. It was culturally ubiquitous, a box office smash and an Oscar nominee for Best Picture. Now, a year later, “Wicked: For Good” arrives in theaters to finish the tale of the complicated friendship between Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Can “Wicked: For Good” be the sensation that its predecessor was? Will it inject new life into a movie business that has suffered a historically bad business year? Will it satisfy the legions of “Wicked” fans who have been waiting to see their favorite musical brought to the big screen?</p><p>Gilbert Cruz is joined by Kyle Buchanan, a pop culture reporter for The New York Times who profiled the stars of “Wicked,” and Madison Malone Kircher, a reporter for the Styles desk and affirmed “Wicked” fanatic, to discuss what “Wicked: For Good” means for the movies.</p><p> </p><p><strong>On Today’s Episode</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/madison-malone-kircher" target="_blank"><strong>Madison Malone Kircher</strong></a><strong> </strong>is a reporter covering internet culture for The Times.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/kyle-buchanan" target="_blank"><strong>Kyle Buchanan</strong></a><strong> </strong>is a pop culture reporter and serves as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/column/the-projectionist" target="_blank">The Projectionist</a>, the awards season columnist for The New York Times.<br /><br />Photo: Universal Pictures</p><p> </p><p><strong>Additional Reading</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/movies/ariana-grande-wicked-for-good.html" target="_blank">Ariana Grande Still Has Surprises in Store</a></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/25/style/wicked-interview-holding-space.html" target="_blank">There Have Been Dozens of “Wicked” Interviews. Why Did This One Go Viral?</a></p> <p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>