Wicked' and the controversial practice of splitting a film into two: It's like releasing the same thing twice'

"For the modest price of another ticket, the second half, Wicked: For Good, has just arrived in theaters, grossing nearly $226 million worldwide in its opening weekend. The combined budget stands at around $300 million, and that figure was already more than covered by the initial installment, which had box office returns of over $750 million, so everything the second part generates will be pure profit."

"Premiering in 2003, the eponymous stage musical is the fourth longest-running show on the circuit and the second most successful, behind The Lion King (1997). With music by Stephen Schwartz and a script by Winnie Holzman, it is inspired by Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995), which imagined a favorable biography for the much-maligned spell-caster from The Wizard of Oz, based on the idea that the victors had distorted history."

"The division of Wicked into two parts separates the acts into which the musical is divided on stage, even though, including the intermission, the performance lasts less than three hours, making the decision difficult to defend from the standpoint of mere fidelity to the source material. Not surprisingly, when production began and director Jon M. Chu officially announced the two films, many criticized the move as a cash grab."

The film Wicked devoted nearly three hours to narrating how the Wicked Witch of the West found a flying implement. The first Wicked film, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, became the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation despite using only half its script. The second half, Wicked: For Good, opened with nearly $226 million worldwide, and combined production budgets total about $300 million, already covered by earlier returns. The original Broadway musical premiered in 2003, features music by Stephen Schwartz, a script by Winnie Holzman, and draws from Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel. Dividing the story into two films mirrors the stage acts and prompted criticism that the split was a cash grab.

Read at english.elpais.com