Wicked is now streaming on Peacock and after rewatching the musical I’m even more confident in my initial take

There are probably many people bursting out into song today, as Wicked made its streaming debut Peacock on March 21; it’s particularly easy as the Wicked sing-along version is also available to stream in addition to the theatrical version.

Setting box office records, inspiring TikTok dances and earning 10 Oscar nominations and two wins (Best Costume Design and Best Production Design), Wicked was truly a phenomenon. But as musicals are a divisive genre, there were some with dissenting viewpoints (notable critics Amy Nicholson and Justin Chang among them) about this adaptation of the popular Broadway musical that gives us a different backstory to the classic world of Oz.

I hadn’t seen Wicked since November when I saw it in movie theaters, but I recently remedied that, curious about a few things. How would I feel watching the movie on a TV screen and would a rewatch change my opinion of the movie at all, having called it one of my top 10 movies of 2024 and giving it five stars in my Wicked review?

I’m happy to report that I'm still a big fan of this movie. As an unabashed lover of musicals, my opinion shifting to disliking Wicked was likely never really in the cards, but the rewatch reaffirmed that not only was this one of the best movies of last year, it’s one of the best studio movies of the last 10 years and is poised to be a classic for years to come.

Exhibits A and B as to why that is were the fantastic performances of Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. In addition to their incredible voices pulling off all the high notes (particularly Erivo during “Defying Gravity”), they have a great chemistry in bringing the friendship of Elphaba and Glinda to life.

Then there’s director Jon M. Chu, who accomplished something truly special in his new depiction of Oz. The movie looks magical from top to bottom, and Chu’s vision helped bring that to life.

One common complaint I remember hearing from some critiques of the movie was that it was too long (especially considering it only covers the first-half of the Broadway musical). And while I’ll give you a couple of the musical numbers may stretch their limitations (I even had that feeling a bit during “Popular”), the movie still had me and kept me from scrolling through my phone, despite not being in the movie theater setting and no one getting mad at me if I did.

Long story short, whether you will be watching Wicked for the first time or like me revisiting the movie, Wicked is an absolute must-watch on Peacock, and the key to getting ready for part two, Wicked: For Good, later this year.

A Peacock subscription is required to stream Wicked in the US, though the movie is available on-demand if you aren’t a subscriber. In the UK Wicked is only available via digital on-demand.