How long does Wicked: For Good run? Runtime and other details explored

Universal Pictures’ Wicked: For Good is directed by Jon M. Chu and adapted from the original Wicked musical by Stephen Schwartz and the novel by Winnie Holzman. The movie focuses on Elphaba, who lives in exile in the Ozian Forest as the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, who lives in luxury, prosperity and fame in a palace in Emerald City.

The plot of the movie reaches its culmination when a huge and angry mob rises up against the Wicked Witch of the West, ultimately reuniting with Glinda to save the people of Oz and herself. 

Wicked: For Good runs for 2 hours and 17 minutes in total.

The movie is the second, after his 2024 movie Wicked, and the concluding half of Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the original Broadway musical, which was in itself 2 hours and 30 minutes in total. Both of Jon's movies are over 2 hours in length, as they also incorporate additional details and plot arcs from Gregory Maguire’s novels. 

Details explored on the runtime, actors, storyline and adaptation information of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good

Jon M. Chu’s 2025 movie, Wicked: For Good, received its theatrical release on November 21, 2025. The movie's runtime is almost 20 minutes shorter than the first installment of the Wicked movie, which was released in 2024.

Veteran actresses Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo play the two protagonists of the musical comedy, Glinda and Elphaba. The official synopsis of Universal Pictures’ movie explains that the plot revolves around the friendship between two witches and how it is tested when one of them is labeled as a wicked witch by the magical authorities. 

The movie is an adaptation of the original Broadway musical "Wicked," which premiered on October 30, 2003. Wicked is a musical comedy based on the book by Winnie Holzman and also from Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which was published in 1995.

The oldest adaptation of Wicked, a novel and film, can be traced back to L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from 1900 and its subsequent 1939 film adaptation.

The movie features 12 songs, all of which were composed and produced by Stephen Schwartz and John Powell. In a recent interview with Collider, director Jon opened up about why he had decided to cut the original song, "Defying Gravity," from the opening scene of the movie. He said,

“What I found out is we don't need it. We don't need to go back. I thought people needed to be reminded of the feelings of that relationship before coming into this relationship, where they're not together anymore, but after that screening, I was like, 'Oh, we just want to jump in.' People are on it with us.”

The movie focuses on themes of friendship, togetherness, kindness and the triumph of good over evil.

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