In Film Row Cinema, students lined up to attend the free advanced screening of the Universal Pictures film “Wicked” starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo on Nov. 12.
Nearly 400 students had registered on Engage for the event hosted by the School of Film and Television. Additional seating was added to accommodate the number of students in attendance.
“Wicked”, the Broadway adaptation written by Winnie Holzman, is based on the 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire.
The PG rated movie will hit US theaters on Nov. 21 after already premiering in Australia on Nov. 3. “Wicked” already has a sequel in the works with “Wicked Part Two” scheduled to be released on Nov. 21, 2025.
Before the screening began, the Student Government Association, which partnered with the School of Film and Television, held a raffle to hand out merchandise like posters and “Wicked” themed mirrors. As the lights dimmed, many attendees began to clap when the opening credits started.
This was the first of many rounds of applause amongst the crowd. After several popular songs were sung, there was an eruption of applause from students in the crowd and some singing along to songs like “Defying Gravity,” a well-known song from the musical.
Sophomore illustration major Nhia Green loved “Defying Gravity” in the movie, noting that the singing was “incredible.” She came to the screening with friends.
“It’s so much fun when you come with a group,” Green said. “Because then you get reactions and it’s just more fun with people and with the school.”
Amy Hernandez, a sophomore film major who attended with Green, went into the movie with lower expectations, as she had never listened to the sound track.
However, she enjoyed the one song she had previously known, “The Wizard and I.” Additionally, Hernandez believes that the screenings are beneficial to students, but noted that it was full in the theater.
“I personally love the free screenings,” Hernandez said. “Maybe don’t give out so many tickets as a lot of people have to get turned away, but besides that, I’m glad we have this as a resource.”
Currently, there are no other free screenings listed on engage this semester, but there is still a chance that there will be more free screenings added, as well as additional screening in the upcoming semesters.
Another student who attended, McKenzie Marlette, a senior fine arts major, thought the movie was pretty good, despite never seeing the Broadway show. Other students, like Megan Want, a junior animation major, saw the movie as a learning experience.
“I was really impressed by a lot of the cinematography and I think I learned a lot by watching the movie, so I think that this is a really valuable part of our education and supplementing that,” Want said.
Thomas Albers, first-year fashion studies major, said the movie exceeded his expectations, adding that it was a well-done adaptation of the Broadway musical. Like other students, Albers enjoyed “Defying Gravity” and the cinematography done alongside it.
Additionally, Albers was able to score one of the posters that were being raffled off, which depicted Glinda on one side and Elphaba on the other. He came to the screening with friends as well.
“I know nothing about this,” Albers said. “So the fact that I have friends here who were able to tell me all about this is really cool and I hope they include it and they make it more known for other majors because even though I’m not a film major, this was still a really cool experience.”
Copy edited by Manuel Nocera
