Ariana Grande and Cynthia erivo Faced Covid-19 and Security Incidents during ‘Wicked: For Good’ Press Tour
The highly anticipated film adaptation of the Broadway hit “Wicked” has been met with a whirlwind of challenges during its global press tour, including positive Covid-19 tests for stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, a security breach involving a fan, and vocal issues impacting promotional appearances. “Wicked: For good” is tracking for a perhaps record-breaking opening weekend, currently projected to exceed $150m-$180m in North America, potentially surpassing “A Minecraft Movie” ($162m) and the “Lilo & Stitch” live-action remake ($146m).
Both Grande and Erivo tested positive for Covid during the filming of the first movie, causing temporary production delays.Erivo’s diagnosis occured days before filming the pivotal song “Defying Gravity,” while Grande tested positive prior to shooting “Popular.”
The press tour itself has been fraught with difficulties. Grande missed the premiere in Brazil due to flight delays, prompting criticism from fans which she addressed on Instagram. In Singapore, a man breached security and attempted to approach Grande, but Erivo intervened before security restrained him. The individual, identified as 26-year-old Australian national Johnson Wen, who has a history of disrupting public events, was convicted of being a public nuisance and sentenced to nine days in jail.
More recently, both actresses skipped red carpet interviews at the New york premiere after Erivo lost her voice, with Grande joining in solidarity.
“Wicked: Part One” ultimately grossed $758m worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film adaptation of a Broadway musical ever. Both Grande and erivo received Oscar nominations for their performances as the unlikely friends in the prequel to “The Wizard of Oz.”
In a review for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw praised Grande as “delicate and doll-like as Glinda” and lauded Erivo as a “superstar” who ”bring[s] her black-belt screen presence to the role of Elphaba, and revealing a new vulnerability and maturity.” The first film exceeded the opening weekend box office record for a movie based on a Broadway musical, earning over $112.5m over the US Thanksgiving weekend in November 2024.
