Fans enjoy magic night at Wicked: For Good early screening

John M. Chu (centre) directs Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked: For Good

It's the moment fans of musicals, films, and one musical film franchise in particular, have been waiting for - Wicked: For Good has hit the cinemas.

The sequel to Wicked, released a year after the first, sees Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande reprise their roles as Elphaba and Glinda in the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West.

The Wizard of Oz prequel, originally a book then a hit stage musical, was shown at some cinemas on Thursday before its official Friday release date.

Whilst critics may not have been as spellbound by the second film as the first, fans at one screening in York were emotional.

Flo Kent, 19, said "finally" seeing the film on the first day of its release was "pretty amazing".

"It's just been such a long wait between the two," she said

Her friend Jemima Haines, 20, said it was "such a well-made film".

"I want to watch it again."

Jemima and Flo were among the audience at Thursday's Wicked double-bill in York

Maggie Pavleszek, a self-confessed "big fan of the Broadway show", said the film was "very emotional".

Her favourite song from the stage show No Good Deed "did not disappoint", she said.

The relationship between leading ladies Elphaba and Glindo was "powerful and engaging", Ms Pavleszek, 29, added.

"They're both flawed in their own ways but they do make each other better."

Kristenn Leporcher, 27, said she almost cried twice while watching the new film and praised it for celebrating people's differences.

"We're all different. I'm different, I'm neurodivergent," she said.

"People are going to see you as maybe weird or different, and it's okay. You need to embrace your differences and you're going to find your people who are doing to embrace it with you."

Kristenn said she nearly cried twice watching the film, despite not being a "big crier"

George Lister said seeing the double bill screening with friends felt like a "big moment in my life".

"I've done theatre since I was in year two. It was the first show I saw live," he explained.

"As of next week I will have seen it nine times on stage."

The 23-year-old said the story was the "perfect analogy for otherness" in a a world he said was "obsessed with appearances".

"The otherness of [Elphaba's] green skin is so important in the story, but it can be this analogy for so many things."

He saw the film with a group of friends, including 24-year-old Ellie Chesterton, who said she was "crying pretty soon in".

She said the "theatre kids that are going to go and see it, we're all different so it's nice to see it represented".

"It's very wholesome, cathartic almost."

Ellie, George, George and Leo said it was nice to share a film about friendship with friends

George Green, 25, said the changes made from the stage show to the film "really add to it".

"It just feels so well thought out and considered."

He added: "It's a show about friendship so it's nice to share it with friends.

"It's the strength of coming together, especially in a world that's a little bit scary at the moment."

Cinema manager Cath Sharp said being able to hold screening events was "massively important"

Cath Sharp, general manager at the cinema said being able to host special screenings such as double bills, pet-friendly and dress-up events was "massively important".

"Now especially, people really celebrate that cinema is for people and audiences to come together and have shared experiences," she said.

Despite mixed reviews, criticising "thinner source material" in the second Wicked film compared to the first, Yorkshire-based film and TV critic Lee Ford said: "In every way it's a smash hit.

"I think to some extent, this film is critic-proof. It doesn't matter what the critics say, it's finding an audience, it's finding the love from the audience.

"This will be a success because of that."

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