Alina Fatima Jaffer

3 especially strange moments from the bizarre 'Wicked' press tour

From sobbing co-stars to pornographic promotions, this multi-million dollar media circuit had it all.

Grandé and Erivo, left to right, in a promotional photo for "Wicked." (Wicked Gallery)

After a seemingly never-ending press tour, Universal Pictures’ “Wicked” is finally coming to North American theatres on Nov. 22, 2024. The film is much-anticipated by Broadway, Ariana Grandé and Oz fans alike which, considering its reported $145 million dollar budget, comes as no surprise. 

With such an allowance, the production ought to deliver some truly outlandish media stunts. We should see Cynthia Erivo flying around on high-wires strung from the Empire State Building and Grandé singing whistle notes from inside an honest-to-goodness magic bubble. In fact, the promotional materials thus far have been ridiculous enough to make these expectations reasonable. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, Universal Pictures’ chief marketing officer Micheal Moses declared that his team planned to be “Just short of obnoxious” in their pursuits. If nothing else, these three moments from the “Wicked” lead-up prove that the line separating almost obnoxious from plainly-so is a tough one to walk. 

Crying co-stars

Click to watch a snippet from an E! News interview with Erivo and Grandé. (enews via Instagram)

Erivo and Grandé’s Wicked-related interviews have two standout consistencies. The pair is always glammed up and always on the verge of tears – and they know it.

“We’ve cried 500 times today,” said Grandé lightheartedly in an interview with E! News. “If you’re just going to comment saying how annoying it is, I’ll say it first. I’m annoyed. I’m tired.”

Luckily for the co-stars, this seems to be an excess of happy-tears. Both actresses have stated that their high-running emotions are the result of wrapping up a production which required a lot of time, energy and effort. 

More realistically, though, this intense, shared vulnerability is a great way to sell the idea of the sisterhood and partnership essential to the “Wicked” storyline. And with the film’s second part set to release in November 2025, fans will probably see plenty more public declarations of friendship in the future.

A wicked screw up

The error quickly caught attention of social media users (just2goodYT via X)

A collaboration between Wicked and Mattel went sideways when character-inspired dolls were launched with misprinted packaging featuring links to a porn site. The unfortunate error quickly circulated on social media, outraging some and amusing others. 

Following the incident, Mattel issued a statement to Variety expressing regret and explaining that they intended to direct customers to the movie’s official landing page.

A Kardashian-exclusive screening

Photos of the event made the rounds on Instagram and Reddit. (kimkformation via Instagram)

This “Wicked” screening at Kim Kardashian’s house was extravagant, indulgent and deceptively smart – much like the Kardashian-Jenner clan. 

Erivo and Grandé made appearances at the reality star’s home for a family viewing-party, complete with green and pink balloons, food and Skims loungewear. While the stars took to social media to express their excitement, commenters sneered at the presentation’s vanity, calling it a shallow cash-grab. 

Ultimately, though, the strategy worked. The celebrity screening made good on Moses’ promise while getting more people – and publications like Glamour and Billboard –  talking about the upcoming film. 

If none of these moments make you at least somewhat interested in the movie, "Wicked" is probably not for you. Or, maybe you're just tired of all the witches in your social media feed.