The 97th Oscars will air live on March 2nd on ABC and Hulu.
Preview:
‘Anora,’ ‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emilia Pérez’ are in contention for Oscars.
‘Wicked’ made the cut for Best Picture and other categories, though Jon M. Chu missed out on a directing nod.
The ceremony happens on March 2nd.
The 97th Academy Awards will be upon us before we know it, and actors Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott announced the Oscar nominees for the various categories Thursday morning.
As a result of the wildfires that have plagued Los Angeles and its surrounding areas, the Academy has extended its voting period, though it’s notable that more decisions still have to be made about final producer credits than in other years.
And the show’s producers have also recently said that the ceremony will honor Los Angeles, which faces an ongoing fire danger situation, while doing away with having the original songs performed live, raising eyebrows since Ryan Gosling and the “I’m Just Ken” team from ‘Barbie’ was one of the showstoppers last year.
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On the whole, the nominations are much as expected –– a lot of love for ‘Anora,’ ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘A Complete Unknown’ and ‘Wicked,’ even if the latter missed out on some key categories, including director and adapted screenplay.
‘Emilia Pérez’ is this year’s Academy darling, with 13 nominations (an all-time record for a movie not in the English language), followed by ‘The Brutalist’ (seemingly unaffected by the recent batch of headlines about AI use to tweak some of the movie’s dialogue) and ‘Wicked’ with 10 apiece.
The Best Director list as usual skewed male, with just ‘The Substance’s Coralie Fargeat making the cut in her category.
Animated charmer ‘Flow,’ meanwhile, scored in its own category and made the International Film list.
Paramount Pictures’ ‘September 5’, the film that unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today, set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. the film that unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today, set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Now that the Golden Globes are over, the official Oscar race is about to begin!
It will start on January 23rd when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announce the Oscar nominees, with the 97th Oscars Ceremony scheduled for March 2nd.
At this point, with no real frontrunner in the Best Picture race yet, it seems to be a competition between ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘Conclave‘, ‘Emilia Pérez’ and ‘Wicked‘.
The Best Actor and Best Actress races seem to have four actors locked in each category, with several possible nominees battling it out for that last coveted spot. And while Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña are locks for nominations in the Supporting categories, the rest of the nominees are pretty much up for grabs.
Moviefone is making its Oscar nomination predictions for the major categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, ahead of the nominee announcements on January 23rd.
The nominations for the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards were announced on the morning of Wednesday, January 8, 2025. Initial plans to stream the nominations live with hosts Joey King and Cooper Koch were canceled due to the horrific fires that are ravaging the greater Los Angeles area, with the list of nominees posted online instead.
The nominees on the motion picture side provided a further twist to the impending Oscar race, as ‘Emilia Perez’ – which walked away with four prizes at last Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony – continued to rack up multiple nominations, including Best Ensemble, Best Female Lead Performance for Karla Sofía Garcón, and Best Female Supporting Performance for Zoe Saldaña.
But while the Globes’ other big winner, ‘The Brutalist,’ was represented here by a sole nomination for Adrien Brody in Best Male Lead Performance, the musical fantasy ‘Wicked’ was a SAG favorite, with nominations for Best Ensemble, Best Female Lead Performance for Cynthia Erivo, Best Female Supporting Performance for Ariana Grande, and Best Male Supporting Performance for Jonathan Bailey.
Also a surprise: while Jeremy Strong got the nod in the Best Male Supporting Performance category for his malevolent turn as Roy Cohn in ‘The Apprentice,’ star Sebastian Stan did not land a nomination for either his star turn in that or ‘A Different Man,’ for which he won the Golden Globe on Sunday.
On the television side, ‘Shōgun’ followed its Emmys and Golden Globes winning streak with four nominations, including Best Ensemble in a Drama Series, two Best Male Actor nods, and a Best Female Actor nom. Additional multiple nominees in both the ensemble and individual acting categories included ‘The Bear,’ ‘The Diplomat,’ and ‘Hacks.’
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The 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will stream live globally on Netflix from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Sebastian Stan and Demi Moore were among the winners.
If 2024 represented a stumble for the scandal-prone Golden Globes, this year’s awards ceremony appeared to be much more back on form –– host Nikki Glaser kept things moving, while being funny even when it came to controversial subjects –– and there were some surprises in store for winners.
A big factor this year were indies scoring big –– well, if you can call ‘Emilia Perez’ an “indie” since it was produced by Netflix –– but the likes of ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘I’m Still Here’ and ‘Conclave’ all took home awards.
On the bigger scale, ‘Wicked’ could only conjure one win, while indie animated movie ‘Flow’ overtook the heavier hitters in its category.
Following last year’s shambles of a hosting gig by comedian Jo Koy, this Globes was in much surer hands thanks to Nikki Glaser, who dipped her toe into controversial topics –– the sex scandals of Sean “Diddy” Combs, politics –– but also managed to raise laughs and keep the ceremony moving.
It might not have been the most hilarious or memorable monologue/set, but it was a definite uptick.
When it came to the matter of the election, Glaser was scathing:
“You’re all so famous, so talented, so powerful. I mean, you could really do anything, except tell the country who to vote for.”
The Diddy crack came when she was referring to Zendaya’s role in ‘Challengers’:
“That movie was more sexually charged than Diddy’s credit card. I mean, seriously. Oh no, no, I know, I’m sorry, I’m upset too, the afterparty’s not going to be as good this year, but we have to move on!”
Finally, there was her skit mashing up ‘Wicked’ with ‘Conclave’ for the song ‘Popeular.’ “You’re gonna love this,” she announced, and it seemed to go over well, except perhaps with Elton John (no part of either movie) who didn’t seem to understand what it was all about.
‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emilia Perez’ Enter the Awards Chat
Despite being 215 minutes, Brady Corbet’s ‘The Brutalist’ was among the big winners, taking home the drama award, Best Director for Corbet and Lead Actor–Drama for star Adrien Brody.
Netflix’s ‘Emilia Pérez,’ meanwhile, won four Globes, including best picture (comedy/musical), supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña, international feature and original song (“El Mal”).
On the acting front, Sebastian Stan was a worthy winner for ‘A Different Man,’ while ‘Wicked,’ which went into the evening with four nominations, only took home the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement gong. ‘Anora,’ which has won trophies from lots of other awards bodies, was shut out.
These wins don’t guarantee success come Oscar night, but they certainly give the movies some momentum.
Possibly the most emotional and celebrated win of the night was Demi Moore finally scoring an award for her lead performance in satirical horror movie ‘The Substance.’
Whether it came because the Globes loves to A) reward a big star and B) can’t resist a comeback story, Moore’s award was nevertheless deserved thanks to her committed, prosthetics-heavy work in Coralie Fargeat’s story of beauty and paranoia.
Her speech was heartfelt and pointed all at once:
“Thirty years ago I had a producer tell me I was a popcorn actress and at that time I made that mean that I wasn’t allowed to have this, that I could do movies that were successful and made a lot of money but that I wouldn’t be acknowledged, and I bought in and I believed that. A few years ago I thought that this was it, maybe I’ve done what I was supposed to do and then I had this magical bold courageous out of the box absolutely bonkers script come across my desk called ‘The Substance’ and the universe told me you’re not done.”
Moore’s family –– including daughter Rumer Willis –– erupted with joy while watching at home, which you can see below via Instagram.
It wouldn’t be the Golden Globes –– or indeed any awards ceremony –– without a few clunkers on the presentation front. This year’s ceremony included an odd camera angle (which Seth Rogen commented on).
Falling somewhere between funny and entirely awkward (as always) on the presentation side was Vin Diesel, handing out the Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award –– somewhat fitting given his leadership of the wildly successful ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise.
Diesel took the stage and immediately referenced Dwayne Johnson, with whom he’s famously been in a feud (though it seems to have thawed in recent times). “Hey Dwayne…”
The Rock gave no response save his megawatt smile (he’d previously scored a big laugh introducing the first award of the night and referring to how they used some of his chest hair for Timothée Chalamet’s ‘A Complete Unknown,’) but the level of tension certainly revved up a touch.
Fernanda Torres was a somewhat surprising (yet worthy) winner for the non-English language Brazilian drama ‘I’m Still Here.’
Taking the stage to collect Lead Actress in a Drama, Torres referenced her mother, who was nominated for the same trophy for her role in ‘Central Station’ more than two decades ago.
“She was here 25 years ago, and this is proof that art can endure through life, even in difficult moments like this. ‘I’m Still Here’ is a film that can help us to think how to survive in tough times.”
‘Matlock’s Kathy Bates, nominated in the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama, ultimately lost to Anna Sawai of ‘Shōgun.’
The veteran actor was naturally supportive of Sawai and applauded her win, and has Sawai took the stage, Bates was glimpsed tearing up her now-unnecessary acceptance speech, albeit with more good humor.
Bates needn’t worry –– since ‘Matlock’ has already been renewed for Season 2, she’ll have other chances. And it’s not like she doesn’t already have an Oscar on her mantle.
With some hefty competition, including this year’s most successful box office release, ‘Inside Out 2,’ ‘Flow’ was the slightly surprising winner in the Animated Film category.
Not because it isn’t good –– it certainly is –– but because it hadn’t enjoyed quite the exposure of, say, Disney’s behemoth or DreamWorks’ ‘The Wild Robot.’
Writer/director (and various other tasks) Gints Zilbalodis paid tribute to his collaborators:
“This film is made by a very small, young but passionate team in a place where there isn’t a big film industry. This is the first time that a film from Latvia has been here, so this is huge for us. This is a very personal story for me because I used to work alone. I made all my films myself but this time I worked with a team and just like the cat in ‘Flow,’ I had to learn how to trust others, how to collaborate, how to overcome our differences and I think it’s very important to remember this nowadays, more than ever.”
‘Shōgun’ was also triumphant once again, nabbing three awards, while ‘Hacks’ was similarly rewarded with two, including Jean Smart once again.
Such was the lack of surprise at ‘The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White taking Best Performance in a Male Actor –– Musical or Comedy that Allen wasn’t even present to collect his trophy (though that might have something to do with his filming commitments to Bruce Springsteen biopic ‘Deliver Me from Nowhere.’)
It was certainly a better night for the Globes than 2024, though while the success of winners such as ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘Emilia Perez’ and actors including Moore and Stan don’t necessarily point to potential Oscar chances (the Globes traditionally don’t have a great track record of predicting the bigger awards), it was at least less embarrassing.
There remains a whiff of unfortunate corporate influence and some questions over the validity of the voting process, but this was by all reasonable metrics, a success.
‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emilia Perez’ were the big winners at the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards, winning Best Motion Picture in both their categories in addition to other major prizes.
Comebacks and upsets were the theme of the evening, as Demi Moore won her first award ever and surprise winners captured other categories.
Following last year’s disastrous hosting gig by Jo Koy, stand-up comic Nikki Glaser steadied the ship with a smooth, funny, if unspectacular performance as emcee.
‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emilia Perez’ were the biggest movie winners at the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, January 5, with the international journalists of the Golden Globe Foundation bestowing some of their biggest prizes on two of the more anti-commercial films of the season. A number of other highly hyped favorites like ‘Anora’ and ‘Wicked’ were largely shut out, while other major prizes went to a variety of smaller independent releases.
‘The Brutalist’ walked away with Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director for Brady Corbet, and Best Male Actor – Drama for Adrien Brody, while ‘Emilia Perez’ snagged Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Supporting Actor – Female for Zoe Saldana, Best Original Song for ‘El Mal,’ and Best International Motion Picture.
Neither film is what one might first think of as popular cineplex fare. ‘The Brutalist’ is a 3 ½ hour period epic about a brilliant architect and Holocaust survivor who struggles to find his place after landing in America following World War II, while ‘Emilia Perez’ is a musical about a Mexican cartel boss who transitions into a woman. ‘The Brutalist’ is just finding its way into theaters now, while ‘Emilia Perez’ has been streaming on Netflix since November. “We were told the film was undistributable, that no one would go see it,” said Corbet as he accepted Best Motion Picture. “No one was asking for 3 ½ hour film about a designer on 70mm. But it works.”
Moore, winning her first award of any kind in her long career, gave an impassioned and emotional speech in which she all but admitted that she never thought her work would receive any sort of acknowledgement beyond her ability to sell tickets:
“In those moments when we don’t think we are smart enough or pretty enough, or skinny enough or successful enough or basically just not enough, I had a woman say to me just know you will never be enough you can know the measure of your work if you just put down the measuring stick.”
She also revealed that she thought her best days as an actor might be behind her, a fear echoed by Adrien Brody in his equally emotional acceptance speech. “There was a time when I thought this would not be afforded to me again,” said the actor, who won an Oscar two decades ago for his portrayal of another Holocaust survivor in “The Pianist.”
Rousing speeches were among the highlights of the night, with Stan also acknowledging the difficulty of making films like ‘A Different Man’ and the Donald Trump biopic ‘The Apprentice,’ for which the Marvel star was also nominated for his portrayal of the convicted felon and once-and-future president. Meanwhile, director Jon M. Chu, accepting the Globes’ award for Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement – most popular movie, in other words – for ‘Wicked,’ insisted on “how important making this stuff is, when pessimism and cynicism rule the planet right now.”
Aside from that award, ‘Wicked’ was shut out of other major prizes, as were Oscar favorites like ‘Anora,’ ‘Nickel Boys,’ and ‘A Complete Unknown,’ all of which went home empty-handed. ‘Conclave’ earned the screenplay prize, while ‘Challengers’ composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won for Best Score and Kieran Culkin earned Best Supporting Actor for ‘A Real Pain,’ the latter one of the few awards of the night which seemingly has a lock on an Oscar win as well.
On the TV side, ‘Shogun’ was the behemoth of the evening, walking away with three acting prizes as well as Best TV Series – Drama, while ‘Hacks’ won for Best TV Series – Comedy or Musical and ‘Baby Reindeer’ earned the trophy for Best Limited Series. The latter beat out ‘The Penguin’ in that category, although Colin Farrell, as widely expected, did earn the award for Best Male Actor – Limited Series for his portrayal of the title Gotham City crime boss.
As for the Golden Globes show itself, host and stand-up comic Nikki Glaser was a largely smooth and entertaining remedy for last year’s disastrous stint by stand-up Jo Koy, although Glaser did pull back on her usual raunchier fare with a succession of funny, if somewhat predictable, jokes about various members of the star-studded audience. But she proved herself more than capable of working what can be an often tough and raucous room.
(L to R) Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart in ‘Love Lies Bleeding.’ Photo: A24.
From Director Rose Glass comes an electric new love story; reclusive gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) falls hard for Jackie (Katy O’Brian), an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family.
(L to R) Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny in ‘Civil War.’ Photo: A24.
Directed by Alex Garland, in the near future, a group of war journalists attempt to survive while reporting the truth as the United States stands on the brink of civil war.
Pamela Anderson in ‘The Last Showgirl’. Photo: Roadside Attractions.
Opening in limited release in December 2024 and directed by by Gia Coppola, ‘The Last Showgirl’ stars Pamela Anderson as Shelly, a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.
Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina in ‘Megalopolis’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, genius artist Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) seeks to leap the City of New Rome into a utopian, idealistic future, while his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.
Directed by Osgood Perkins, in pursuit of a serial killer (Nicolas Cage), an FBI agent (Maika Monroe) uncovers a series of occult clues that she must solve to end his terrifying killing spree.
Directed by George Miller, as the world falls, young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). Sweeping through the wasteland, they encounter the citadel presided over by Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme). The two tyrants wage war for dominance, and Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.
Directed by Morgan Neville, ‘Piece By Piece’ is a unique cinematic experience that invites audiences on a vibrant journey through the life of cultural icon Pharrell Williams. Told through the lens of LEGO® animation, turn up the volume on your imagination and witness the evolution of one of music’s most innovative minds.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, while serving as a juror in a high profile murder trial, family man Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma…one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict—or free—the accused killer.
After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island’s animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose (Kit Connor).
Paul Mescal plays Lucius in ‘Gladiator II’ from Paramount Pictures.
Directed by Ridley Scott, years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus (Russell Crowe) at the hands of his uncle (Joaquin Phoenix), Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger) who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Directed by Coralie Fargeat, a fading celebrity (Demi Moore) decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself (Margaret Qualley).
Directed by Jeremy Saulnier, a former Marine (Aaron Pierce) confronts corruption in a small town when local law enforcement unjustly seizes the bag of cash he needs to post his cousin’s bail.
Zoe Saldaña as Emilia Pérez in ‘Emilia Pérez’. Photo: Netflix.
Directed by Jacques Audiard, Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an underrated lawyer working for a large law firm more interested in getting criminals out of jail than bringing them to justice, is hired by the leader of a criminal organization.
Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
(L to R) Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), Jane Curtain (Kim Matula), Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman), Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott), Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), Alan Zweibel (Josh Brener) and Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) in ‘Saturday Night’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Directed by Jason Reitman, at 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. This is the story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of ‘Saturday Night Live‘.
From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, ‘Challengers’ stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor) – his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.
(L to R) Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard), Hank Hanson (Corey Johnson), Jacques Lesgardes (Zinedine Soualem), Geoff Mason (John Magaro), Carter (Marcus Rutherford), Gladys Deist (Georgina Rich), Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), Marianne Gebhard (Leonie Benesch) star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘September 5’ the film that unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today, set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Directed by Tim Fehlbaum, during the 1972 Munich Olympics, an American broadcasting team is thrust from covering sports to reporting a dramatic hostage situation involving Israeli athletes. A young producer (John Magaro), unexpectedly leading the live broadcast, faces difficult decisions as time runs out, rumors spread, and the hostages’ lives hang in the balance.
Jude Law in ‘The Order’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
Directed by Justin Kurzel, an alarming surge in violent bombings and bank robberies in the Pacific Northwest leads a weathered FBI agent (Jude Law) into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a charismatic domestic terrorist (Nicholas Hoult) plotting to overthrow the US government.
(L to R) Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba and Ariana Grande is Glinda in ‘Wicked’, directed by Jon M. Chu. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, in the land of Oz, ostracized and misunderstood green-skinned Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is forced to share a room with the popular aristocrat Glinda (Ariana Grande) at Shiz University, and the two’s unlikely friendship is tested as they begin to fulfill their respective destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
From director Edward Berger, ‘Conclave’ follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events – selecting a new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy and discovers a secret that could shake the very foundation of The Church.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, follow the mythic journey of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
Directed by James Mangold, set in the influential New York music scene of the early 60s, ‘A Complete Unknown’ follows 19-year-old Minnesota musician Bob Dylan‘s (Timothée Chalamet) meteoric rise as a folk singer to concert halls and the top of the charts – his songs and mystique becoming a worldwide sensation – culminating in his groundbreaking electric rock and roll performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.
(L to R) Mikey Madison as Ani and Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan in ‘Anora’. Photo: Courtesy of NEON.
Sean Baker‘s Palme d’Or winner ‘Anora’ is an audacious, thrilling, and comedic variation on a modern day Cinderella story. Mikey Madison captivates as Ani, a young sex worker from Brooklyn whose life takes an unexpected turn when she meets and impulsively marries Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the impetuous son of a Russian billionaire. However, when Vanya’s parents catch wind of the union, they send their henchmen to annul the marriage, setting off a wild chase through the streets of New York.
Watch ‘Wicked‘ at home this holiday season as the box office hit, which was based on the popular Broadway musical and directed by Jon M. Chu (‘Crazy Rich Asians’), will be available to purchase or rent on Digital beginning December 31st.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Jon M. Chu about his work on ‘Wicked’, the success of the film, casting and working with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera, the importance of Broadway stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth appearing in the movie, the decision to turn the musical in to two different films, and the pressure of directing the “Defying Gravity” sequence.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
(Center L to R) Cynthia Erivo (as Elphaba), Director Jon M. Chu, and Ariana Granda (as Glinda) on the set of ‘Wicked’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Moviefone: To begin with, not only is ‘Wicked’ a box office hit but it’s also become a cultural phenomenon. As a director, what is it like to see your film embraced by audiences?
Jon M. Chu: It’s blowing me away. When you’re directing, you create a shield around yourself. You must encourage everyone around you, but deep down you’re like, it could happen. Who knows? But this is beyond my imagination. There’s a reality that sets in weeks later where you’re like, “Oh wait, people really do like this.” This is just not on my feed that people are singing it, doing the choreography. It’s on ‘Saturday Night Live’. It’s like all these things. It’s a filmmaker’s dream, and I think a storyteller’s dream to witness this. So, I love that they get to own this movie beyond our little baby that now it’s theirs.
(L to R) Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba and Ariana Grande is Glinda in ‘Wicked’, directed by Jon M. Chu. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: Can you talk about casting Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera and what they both bring to these iconic roles?
JMC: Well, we wouldn’t have made the movie if we didn’t find them. I didn’t know who they were going to be. But when Cynthia came in, it was very clear that she had more to give to the world, and the world needed to see more of her than that they had at that moment. Elphaba was the perfect character to do that, that she could really infuse a new light into Elphaba that we had never seen before. It made my job a lot easier to know that every time she sang those words, it just felt like the first time I ever heard it before. For her as a woman of color, I, as a filmmaker of color, to be able to work together and get in there and work from the inside out just gave me so many more roads of where this character could go. You’ll see that more in movie two (‘Wicked: For Good’). For Ariana, it felt like a discovery. It felt like people think they know her, but they have no idea what more she has to offer. It felt like opening a new chapter to her life. She was going through changes in her life, Cynthia was, I was. So, for all of us to join hands and make this movie and in our own little bubble and years later have the audience join us here at summer camp, I guess at Oz, it’s been beautiful to see. I hope that it encourages people also to blossom into their new self as well.
(L to R) Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth attend as Universal Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Wicked’ at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, November 9, 2024. Photo: Nick Agro/ABImages.
MF: Can you talk about the importance of having Broadway stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth appear in the film?
JMC: It wasn’t just important; it was like my dream to be able to work with those two ladies. It was imperative. So, they agreed to come in. They were so generous, and so kind. We just had to find the right thing. We didn’t want just a small cameo where they walked them through a door or something. So, Steven Schwartz wrote this part in one short day where they could tell the history of the Grimmerie and of Oz and the Wizard. We have some breadcrumbs of special things that may come later that Elphaba is witnessing for the first time in this show that really helps our story make sense of some of the things that she does later. So, to me, that was the fun part. It felt that it was needed in the story. You get the fun of them, and they get to do their thing. So, it was great. What an honor to have them on set.
(L to R) Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba, Ariana Grande is Glinda and Director Jon M. Chu on the set of ‘Wicked’, directed by Jon M. Chu. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: Can you talk about making the choice to split the play into two movies?
JMC: There’s a lot in the first act of the show that needed to be unpacked. In fact, it was necessary is what we found once we got into developing the script, that without those pieces, I’m not sure an audience would buy into the dramatic changes that happen emotionally with Elphaba or Galinda. So, the room allowed us to have spaces to fill in for their characters, to develop in a pace that I think movie audiences will accept more. So, it was a hard choice at first, and we constantly kicked the tires on it, but we knew that it would give us the best opportunity to fill out these characters the way that all the fans and non-fans would want when seeing these characters.
Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba in ‘Wicked’, directed by Jon M. Chu. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: Finally, did you feel a lot of pressure directing the ‘Defying Gravity’ sequence?
JMC: It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life to feel that pressure of this song, and that this is the show. You better not mess this up. Then you have Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande singing those words, which change everything. Then you’re like, well, I need to be in a closeup the whole time because I just want to be there watching her. But no, she’s flying, and we can make her fly all around us. And guess what? She’s doing her own stunts. And guess what? She’s singing live. And it’s the end of this movie, so it must feel dramatically, emotionally that it’s closing our movie down. So, all those things together, it just took every crew member, every producer, every actor, to be on the same page of what we were trying to say emotionally with this and everything. We double-checked ourselves, recut, reshot, anything we needed to do to make sure that this was the pinnacle of this movie of ‘Wicked’ itself. To see people react the way they have been, thank God. I can go to sleep now. Just for a little bit, until part two.
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What’s the story of ‘Wicked’?
In the land of Oz, ostracized and misunderstood green-skinned Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is forced to share a room with the popular aristocrat Galinda (Ariana Grande) at Shiz University, and the two’s unlikely friendship is tested as they begin to fulfill their respective destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Watch ‘Wicked’ at home this holiday season as the movie will be available to purchase or rent on December 31st on Digital.
Exclusive Bonus Features When You Purchase At Participating Retailers:
Sing Along – Alternate Feature-Length Version: Rejoicify, it’s your turn to sing your way through Oz! Sing-along to all of your favorite Wicked songs as you join Elphaba and Glinda on their magical journey.
Deleted And Extended Scenes:
Pfannee & ShenShen Meet Glinda: Reunited at Shiz University, Glinda, Pfannee, and ShenShen recall their past by performing a twirling routine together.
Shiz Gazette Introduces Fiyero: Excitement spreads across Shiz as word gets out that Prince Fiyero is on his way.
Toss Toss: Glinda teaches Elphaba the art of Toss Toss, with mixed results.
Elphaba & Fiyero in the Forest: The relationship between Elphaba and Fiyero takes a turn as they come to care for a lost lion cub.
Elphaba’s Promise: Elphaba makes a pledge to Glinda that they both hope will strengthen their friendship.
Train Platform Farewell: Glinda, Madame Morrible, and Governor Thropp gather to send Elphaba off to Emerald City.
Boq & Elphaba Talk: Elphaba challenges Boq to face the truth about his feelings for Nessa Rose, but she has difficulty doing the same when it comes to Fiyero.
Train Ride to Emerald City: Glinda and Elphaba expand their world by taking a luxurious train ride to Emerald City.
In the Emerald City: The bustling streets of Emerald City take Glinda and Elphaba one step closer to finally meeting the Wizard.
Palace Monkeys Chase: Elphaba and Glinda race through a maddening maze of winged monkeys determined to take them down.
Featurettes:
Making Wicked – Return to Oz for a fantastic behind-the-scenes journey with this expansive look inside the characters, choreography, and creativity that make up the movie’s unforgettable world.
Welcome To Shiz – Unlimited imagination, couture fashion, and spectacular production design come together at Shiz University, providing a place for performers and viewers to be fully immersed in the fantasy. Designed from details in L. Frank Baum’s books, the uniforms, clever contraptions, and circular sets create a sprawling campus where magic feels like an everyday occurrence.
A Wicked Legacy –Take delight in the cast and filmmakers sharing personal memories of their first encounters with the original Broadway production, and how those lasting connections created emotional experiences while making the movie. Also highlighted are the iconic cameos that pay tribute to the cultural phenomenon that became one of the most popular musicals of all time.
The Wonderful Wizard – Follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City for an in-depth look at the infamous Wizard of Oz. Inside the palace’s throne room, the Wizard himself, Jeff Goldblum, pulls back the curtain to peer at his character’s magic and mechanics with senior special effects technician Christopher Clarke, who details how the Wizard’s massive robotic head comes to life.
Commentary:
Feature Commentary with Director Jon M. Chu
Feature Commentary with Stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande
The 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards will air on E! Sunday, January 12th, 2025.
Preview:
The 30th Annual Critics Choice Film Awards Nominations have been announced.
‘Wicked’ and ‘Conclave’ lead the pack with 11 nominations each.
The ceremony will air on E! on January 12th.
While last year’s crop of Critics Choice Association nominations saw ‘Barbie’ dominate the pack above all else, the latest batch is a little more evenly spread.
That said, ‘Wicked’ and ‘Conclave’ were the clear favorite for the voting members of the group, as the two movies nabbed 11 nominations each, including both showing up on the main Best Picture list.
Notably, ‘Wicked’s Jon M. Chu made the cut for Best Director, unlike the surprise at the Golden Globe nomination, while ‘Gladiator II’ might be looking for vengeance in this life or the next, as it couldn’t make the list for either Best Director or Best Picture, settling for another Best Supporting Actor nod for scene-stealer Denzel Washington and some technical categories.
Paramount Pictures’ ‘September 5’, the film that unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today, set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. the film that unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today, set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
CCA CEO Joey Berlin had this to say about this year’s nominated movies:
“This year brought us an incredible wealth of storytelling and performances, leading to indescribably close races for nominations. We are honored to be able to celebrate our landmark 30th year of the Critics Choice Awards with this talented group of nominees and are thrilled to bring viewers our best show yet. Knowing how close the balloting for nominations was, we anticipate an exciting evening of high drama on January 12.”
When will the Critics Choice Awards be on TV?
The awards ceremony will air live on E! on Sunday, January 12th, hosted by Chelsea Handler.
The 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards will air on E! Sunday, January 12th, 2025.
Seemingly having weathered the various scandals that have plagued the organization and the voting body of the awards, the Golden Globe Awards are back to some measure of their former luster, and back in the business of rewarding what they see as the best of this past movie and TV season.
If anything, this year’s batch of movie nominees feel weighted towards the indie side of things, albeit several produced by the indie arm of big studios. Still, there were the big titles –– ‘Wicked,’ ‘Dune: Part Two’ present as always.
Despite its later arrival on the awards scene compared to some of the other nominees, ‘A Complete Unknown’ –– which stars Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, scored some notable attention.
And even though it boasts a seemingly brutal (pun entirely intended) three hours and 45 minute running time (including an intermission!), Brady Corbet’s latest, ‘The Brutalist,’ also landed several nominations.
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The new category this year was “Cinematic and Box Office Achievement” which, (deep breath) is defined as “a gross box office receipt total of at least $150 million, of which $100 million must come from the U.S. domestic box office, and/or obtain commensurate digital streaming viewership according to recognized trusted industry sources within the qualifying year.”
Oh, and movies released after November 22nd get in based on projected box office and streaming views. Just in case you were wondering…
‘Gladiator II,’ meanwhile had to make do with showing up on the aforementioned Cinematic and Box Office Achievement list and, as could have been predicted, a Best Supporting Actor nod for Denzel Washington’s scene-stealing role.
The 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards is set to air live from the Beverly Hilton on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on Sunday, January 5th.
On the TV side of the nominees, it was business as usual also as some heavy hitters (‘Abbott Elementary‘ and ‘Only Murders in the Building‘) saw plenty of potential trophies added to the list.
Among the newcomers, ‘Shōgun’ was well represented, as was fellow awards darling ‘Baby Reindeer.’ ‘The Day of the Jackal’ was perhaps the most surprising new arrival, though it’s not all that shocking given the success of that show.
The Globes are also the place where network TV gets more of a look in, with ‘Matlock’ among those up for awards.
Full list of TV nominations:
Best Television Series – Drama
Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal in ‘The Day of the Jackal’. Photo: Marcell Piti/Carnival Film and Television Limited.
Disney’s ‘Moana 2’ launched to a huge $221 million over five days.
It’s the biggest five-day opening number in history.
‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator II’ continued to be successful.
Box office tills both here and around the world continued to ring out (well, probably beep in this day and age) with glee as the long Thanksgiving weekend powered to a massive total.
That’s primarily thanks to the new Disney animated movie sequel ‘Moana 2,’ which locked in a new Thanksgiving box office record with $221 million domestically over the five-day holiday frame, obliterating the previous high-water marks set by 2019’s ‘Frozen II’ ($125 million) and 2013’s ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.’ ($109 million).
It’s also the biggest five-day debut in history, overtaking Universal’s 2023 behemoth ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ ($205.6 million).
And Disney will be happy –– the film’s three day tally of $135.5 million registers as the best start for its animation arm, ahead of ‘Frozen II’ (which opened to $130.2 million the weekend prior to Thanksgiving).
Ticket sales for the ‘Moana’ sequel were far above the early estimates of $135 million to $145 million. Worldwide, the movie has made more than $386.3 million, with launches still set for several counties this week.
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Here’s what Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman had to say:
“ ‘Moana 2’ has far surpassed our high expectations this weekend and is a testament to the phenomenon that ‘Moana’ has become. This is a moment to celebrate, and we’re thankful to all the moviegoers and fans who’ve helped make this a record-breaking debut.”
While the movie was seen as something of a gamble –– it originated as a TV series spin-off to the 2016 movie, before being retooled for a theatrical release, that has certainly paid off.
It’s been a good year for Disney, thanks to the successful likes of Pixar’s ‘Inside Out 2’ (whose current worldwide box office tally stands at $1.69 billion) and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ (now at $1.33 billion globally).
The box office in total did well, surging to more than $400 million this weekend. It’s a much needed boost for an industry that has been struggling to recover from the pandemic in particular.
And that’s also partly thanks to second week and weekends for fellow heavy hitters ‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator II.’
How is ‘Wicked’ performing in its second weekend at the box office?
(L to R) Ariana Grande is Glinda and Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba in ‘Wicked’, directed by Jon M. Chu. Photo: Universal Pictures.
‘Wicked’ danced through life to another huge turnout, landing in the No. 2 spot with $80 million over the traditional weekend and $117.5 million over the five-day holiday stretch.
The movie has earned $262.4 million in North America and $359.2 million globally to date.
It already ranks as the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation in domestic box office history, ahead of 1978’s ‘Grease’ ($188.62 million), as well as the fourth-biggest worldwide stage-to-screen reimagining behind 2008’s ‘Mamma Mia’ ($611 million), 2012’s ‘Les Misérables’ ($442 million) and, yes ‘Grease’ ($396 million).
There were concerns that the fact it’s part one of two might hurt sales but confirming the split between films ahead of time seems to have reassured viewers. It doesn’t hurt that the movie enjoyed positive reviews and was embraced by a large slice of the moviegoing public.
Universal will need it to stay popular –– the combined two movies come with a $300 million price tag and the company spent untold millions on a worldwide promotional tour with the cast. Still, the blizzard of Oz-related partnership deals will help.
How about ‘Gladiator II’?
(L to R) Pedro Pascal plays General Acacius and Paul Mescal plays Lucius in ‘Gladiator II’ from Paramount Pictures.
‘Gladiator II’ might not be on the same level as either of its box office colleagues, but it’s certainly seeing some hefty rewards.
A sequel to Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning 2000 original has been in development almost as long as the first film has been out, but it has taken years for Scott and a cadre of writers to crack the sequel story.
In the end, they chose to follow Lucius, the young man seen in the first film (played there by Spencer Treat Clark) who is the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, who returns for the sequel).
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The new movie follows a grown Lucius (with rising star Paul Mescal in the role) as he finds himself enslaved by the Roman empire and forced to fight as a gladiator. He’s also drawn into the turbulent politics of Rome via Macrinus, a slave-turned-slave-owning arms dealer, played to scene-stealing effect by Denzel Washington.
Following a $55.5 million domestic opening (slightly behind predictions) the second weekend of release, the sequel took third place with $30.7 million over the traditional weekend and $44 million over the five day frame.
So far, it has grossed $111.2 million domestically and $320 million worldwide.
But, like the other movies, it needs to earn, as it was also massively expensive to make, costing more than $250 million to produce and another $100 million to market to global audiences.
What else happened at the box office this week?
(L to R) Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans in ‘Red One.’ Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
With the new competition in the market place, ‘Red One’ was shoved down to fourth. Despite opening in the top spot three weeks ago, the Christmas action movie (which also stars Dwayne Johnson) has struggled somewhat.
Its stocking was filled with $12.8 million over the main weekend and $18.7 million over the five-day holiday frame.
The Amazon MGM film has grossed $75 million in North America and $148.7 million globally, which is solid but still probably behind what the company might hope for given the expansive $250 million budget.
Still, the company is partly looking for the movie to drive interest in its Prime Video streaming service.
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Lionsgate’s ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ rounded out the top five with $3.2 million over the traditional weekend and $4.85 million through the extended Thanksgiving period.
The family-friendly faith-based holiday film cost $10 million to make and has grossed $32 million in North America since opening four weeks ago. It won’t exactly set the studio’s heart aflame, but it’s honestly a better result than some of its underperforming releases this year. Looking at you, ‘Borderlands’ ($115 million budget before marketing costs, $32.9 million worldwide to date).
