Wicked (2024) was a bona fide smash when it hit theaters, with Wicked: For Good (2025) likely to repeat that success. Based on the Broadway musical of the same name, Wicked is a musically-driven perspective flip of The Wizard of Oz (1939), focusing on the Wicked Witch and revealing her human motivations and emotional desires. Compelling, charming, and bittersweet to a fault, Wicked is a great example of what cinematic musicals can be in the 21st century.
While fans are eagerly awaiting the theatrical release of the sequel, there are plenty of other great musicals to watch. Some of them are darker than Wicked, while others play their subversive approaches with a lighter touch. Everything from Disney animation to blood-soaked Tim Burton can appeal to Wicked’s unique tonal juggling act, and they are all worth checking out if you love musicals. Here are the 10 best musicals to watch while waiting for Wicked: For Good. Watch them on HBO Max, Disney+, and Netflix.
The Wiz (1978)
Anyone who loves the ways Wicked remixes The Wizard of Oz needs to check out The Wiz. Directed by the legendary Sidney Lumet and based on the musical of the same name The Wiz is a fantastical approach that feels true to the spirit of the original The Wizard of Oz film as well as the music and culture of late 1970s New York City.
Starring Diana Ross as a grown version of Dorothy Gale, the film’s impressive cast (which also includes Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Lena Horne, Mabel King, and a pitch-perfect Richard Pryor as the Wiz) fully lean into the aesthetic and spirit of the music. Rough around the edges but bolstered by an undeniable sense of charm, The Wiz is a great musical that plays with some of the same subtextual elements of Wicked and a great pick for fans of Oz-set stories.
Wonka (2023)
Another modern remake of a children’s literature classic, Wonka has a lot more going for it than may seem on the surface. With a staging and production design that recalls Wicked’s blend of fantastical layouts, Wonka gets by on pure charm. Timothée Chalamet may seem more likely to fit into the musical stylings of films like A Complete Unknown (2024), but, as it turns out, he is a surprisingly compelling candymaker, with charm oozing out of every delivery.
Like Wicked, Wonka takes an openly cartoonish musical and uses it to infuse themes about corruption in government and the cruelty of capitalism into a broadly appealing musical. While it can’t quite match the magic of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), Wonka is a sweet alternative to Wicked.
Into the Woods (2014)
Similar to Wicked’s remix of a classic fantasy story with darker undertones, Into the Woods remixes a host of classic fairy tales to undercut their supposedly pitch-perfect happy endings. The Stephen Sondheim adaptation is an overall mixed bag when it comes to performances, as befitting a musical that’s been played in different forms in different ways. However, there are individual parts and overarching themes that will perfectly appeal to any Wicked fan.
The “Agony” song is especially perfect in this film adaptation, as a competing duet that will make anyone who loved Fiyero’s “Dancing Through Life” explode with glee. Similar to other recent Sondheim movie adaptations like West Side Story (2021), Into the Woods is a mixed bag but well worth checking out for musical fans.
Frozen (2013)
A perfect pairing with Wicked’s focus on deceptively complex female bonds amid surface-level theatrics, Frozen is a softer-edged musical that is a perfect revisit before Wicked. Focusing on a pair of sisters whose tension explodes into a supernatural winter, Frozen remains one of Walt Disney Animation’s biggest critical and financial successes. The themes and music are perfect for anyone who cried over the relationship between Elphaba and Galinda, and the music is just as memorably stirring as anything from the Broadway smash turned box office behemoth.
It doesn’t hurt that Idina Menzel, who originated the role of Elphaba on Broadway, delivers one of Disney’s best musical moments of all time with “Let It Go,” giving it all the emotion and power that can be found in “Defying Gravity.” Alongside the similarly strong Frozen II (2019), Wicked fans eager to return to Oz should take a visit to this visually icy but emotionally warm family musical.
Chicago (2002)
Not necessarily for the younger Wicked fans, given the musical’s blunt depictions of crime, corruption, and sex, Chicago is an absolute blast for the older audiences who fell in love with Wicked. Set in 1920s Chicago and focused on an aspiring star who finds herself at the center of a murder trial, Chicago is a stylish production that benefits from creative staging and terrific performances.
The harsher-edged musical was a major Oscar winner when it debuted, and songs like “Cell Block Tango” remain high amid rankings of cinematic musical adaptations. While the younger audiences who loved Wicked should consider musicals like Cinderella (1997), the themes and underlying story of two women, both competing for the world’s attention, will resonate with more mature audiences who enjoyed the prickly dynamic between Galinda and Elphaba.
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Wicked’s surprisingly sly sense of humor and darker undertones make it a quietly great peer to Little Shop of Horrors. Frank Oz’s delightfully dark musical, based on Howard Ashman’s off-Broadway smash, adapts the sci-fi film of the same name with a sardonic edge that is perfectly of the 1980s era but quietly timeless in its condemnation of selfish impulse and capitalist greed.
The creature effects of the man-eating plant Audrey II are delightful to this day, and it will give anyone who enjoys the creature design in Wicked a good chuckle. Perfect for anyone who enjoys the quietly subversive elements of seemingly friendly franchises like The Muppet Show (1976), Little Shop of Horrors is a goofy take on a horror film with plenty of catchy music that Wicked fans will love.
In the Heights (2021)
Based on the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical of the same name, In the Heights has the same romantic spirit and musical touch that made Wicked so compelling. Set in New York City during the hunt for a lottery ticket that could change the lives of whoever gets their hands on it, In the Heights is an expansive and socially conscious musical that benefits from lavish production value and charming lead performances.
Jon M. Chu directed the film adaptation before making the move to Wicked, and he brings the same clever composition and design aesthetics to this more grounded but no less stirring musical experience. If you’re a Wicked fan who also loves the musical stylings of Miranda’s other work like Hamilton (2020), In the Heights is a great pick.
Enchanted (2007)
Anyone who loves Wicked’s subversive but heartfelt response to musical and fantasy tropes of the past should check out Enchanted. A more openly silly story than the morally complex Wicked, Enchanted is nevertheless a fun and compelling musical comedy about finding the balance of optimism amid the challenges of the real world. As a parody of a Disney Princess who is accidentally trapped in New York City, Enchanted benefits from killer lead performances by Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, and a perfectly dopey James Marsden.
At times critical of the musical tropes and at others openly embracing their sense of dream-like whimsy, Enchanted finds a compelling emotional core amid the sweeping musical numbers and character beats. A tad bit softer and lighter than Wicked, the pair make for unique subversions of the typical fantasy musical.
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Fans of the romantic elements of Wicked will love the mid-2000s adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. Delivered with the kind of empathetic gusto that Wicked also embodies, Phantom of the Opera is a sweeping romance of unexpected lovers and a perfect peer for anyone drawn to Wicked’s unlikely tension between Elphaba and Fiyero. While the musical itself is very much a “love it or hate it” proposition, the production value and romantic spirit will appeal to those who loved Wicked.
Similar to Wicked, the performances are the true key to the movie’s success, with the romantic tension at the core of the story softening even the most stone-hearted audiences. While it may be somewhat sloppy and overly melodramatic, The Phantom of the Opera is a solid romantic option to watch while waiting for Wicked.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Fans of Wicked’s darker elements need to check out Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Another adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s work, this Tim Burton-helmed musical finds the perfect middle ground between the visually iconic filmmaker and the musical legend. Bolstered by a uniformly great cast and solid production value, Sweeney Todd is a blood-soaked screed against the cruelties of the upper class and the desperation of society.
While audiences who balk at blood might want to skip it, anyone who loves both Wicked and shows like Wednesday (2022) needs to check out this film, which has all the big romantic touches, bittersweet brutality, and grandiose musical moments that helped make Wicked so unforgettable in the first place. Fans of Wicked can pick plenty of musicals to watch, but if they can stand the darker aspects of the film, Sweeney Todd is a must-watch.
