Wicked Fans Fight Back Against For Good’s Disappointing Rotten Tomatoes Score With Far Bigger Audience Rating

Wicked: For Good may have shattered the box office in its opening weekend, but it didn’t fare so well with critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, Wicked 2 earned a 70% “fresh” score, compared to the first Wicked’s 88% critical score. More than that, there’s been a general narrative that Wicked: For Good is a step down from the heights of the first film, and isn’t that great of a movie overall. Well, audiences don’t seem to agree, as Wicked: For Good has achieved the same 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes as the first film did.

The audience score for Wicked: For Good was compiled from over 10,000 verified users submitting reviews. As always with the aggregate sites, there’s always a question as to how objective any of this is; for bad or worse, camps of fans have taken to routinely trying to “review bomb” the films they either love or hate, trying to artificially boost or lower the audience score. In the case of Wicked 2, there can be a fair amount of argument that fans of the franchise are riding for the film, trying to counteract critical and negative viewer opinions with positive reviews. Like every other blockbuster release of the last year or so, Wicked has become something of a cultural lightning rod, especially regarding its thematic subtext about female empowerment.

Why Is Wicked: For Good Getting Harsher Criticism?

The biggest thing that seems to be impacting Wicked: For Good‘s reception are its more direct ties to The Wizard of Oz. For whatever reason, the way that For Good‘s story is told as an interquel (a sequel film that offers a different perspective on the same events as the original film) seems to be throwing a lot of viewers. For those who never experienced Wicked as a stage production, a lot of contrivances to make characters from Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda Upland’s (Ariana Grande) world transform into the iconic characters who aid Dorothy Gale in her journey through Oz. Meanwhile, fans of the original stage production seem not happy with changes in the movie version of the play’s Second Act – especially when it comes to characters like Nessarose Thropp (Marissa Bode) and the Ruby Slippers that come into Dorothy’s possession.

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“I can’t say I loved Wicked: For Good as much as I loved the first film. But I still loved it! I wasn’t thrilled with the plot change to Elphaba’s sister Nessa,” writes user Lesley Wentzell. “Also, it seemed that Wicked was taking potshots at Judy Garland’s portrayal of Dorothy Gale which I don’t think is fair given how horribly MGM treated her.” Ultimately, though, Wentzell felt the film was still a winner because “Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo gave peak performances, yet again, as Glinda and Elphaba and the rest of the cast was great as well. I more than likely would have given Wicked: For Good Five Stars had it not been for the above-mentioned factors.”

For the newer generation of fans, who have never known Wicked before these films (or Wizard of Oz, for that matter), it doesn’t seem to be much of a hangup. Social media like TikTok and Instagram is all the evidence you need that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are feeling Wicked: For Good just as much as they are the first film. By the time we get to the emotional climax performance of “For Good” it’s pretty clear that Grande, Erivo and the entire Wicked: For Good production are going to be awards season contenders. And with $226 million earned worldwide on opening weekend (and $150 million of that domestically) it’s also clear that the film with be a box office smash across the Thanksgiving-to-Christmas holiday window – especially with overwhelmingly good word of mouth. Sounds pretty magical to us.

Wicked: For Good is now playing in theaters.