Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande responded after watching a video featuring a curmudgeonly moviegoer being dragged to see the film adaptation of the smash Broadway musical.
However, at the end of the movie, as the credits rolled, our grumpy skeptic appeared to have changed for good.
Wicked is a two-part musical film based on the 2003 Broadway hit loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West about the Wicked Witch of the West's origin story behind her perceived wickedness.
In a before and after video, social media user Fred Asquith told viewers he wasn't looking forward to seeing the first half of the two-hour-plus musical, and he expressed his unadulterated loathing of it before even seeing it.
"And the trailer looks sh*t, so I'm like, 'Oh, two hours forty minutes of THAT,' " griped the Yorkshire native.
Asquith continued rolling his eyes over being told "It's f'king Citizen Kane" and that it would be a surefire Best Picture contender.
"I'm like, 'Can we all just calm down please?' " he said, adding, "It can't be that good."
The clip jumps to after, and it shows Asquith with tears rolling down his face and begrudgingly admitting the movie defied his expectations.
"It was okay," he said while laughing at himself for getting emotional.
He wiped away his teary face with his sleeve and added:
"Wow, f'k it's good. F'k, it's annoying."
The clip ended with him admitting defeat.
"It's good. And now I have to tell everyone."
Here's the sweet clip.
The video he captioned, “Well that shut me up," went viral with over 1.5 million views.
He also posted the video to Instagram, where he wrote the following:
"I went into Wicked a grump straight white [male] and I came out a resplendant witch defying gravity."
"Watch and enjoy as my expectations are subverted in this relatable and extremely candid video about going to see the new movie Wicked and crying my eyes out."
Fans were happy to see the movie's effect on him.
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Some who were reluctant about seeing Wicked were inspired to change their minds.
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And then, the unexpected happened.
Erivo, who plays Elphaba, a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West, eventually saw the video and commented on his reaction.
Asquith shared a screenshot of the message he received from the Tony-winning star, who wrote:
"Fred I loved this video so much, it made me smile and giggle."
"The genuine reaction hit me hard. I appreciate you sharing this and thank you."
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Fans' jaws dropped at the interaction.
But the surprise wasn't a one-and-done situation.
He received another acknowledgment, this time from Erivo's co-star Ariana Grande, who plays Galinda, a.k.a. Glinda the Good Witch.
The "Thank U, Next" pop idol responded to Asquith's video with a crying-laugh, teary-eyed, and arrow-through-heart emojis.
To which he replied:
"I just absolutely collapsed."
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People lost their minds over his video reaching the leading ladies of Wicked.
Some musical films never take flight due to built-in skepticism and having limited reach or interest of general audiences.
But with a powerful story embodying friendship and love, coupled with dynamic performances and a catchy musical score, it's not surprising Wicked soared into the hearts of moviegoers…once they made it to the cinema.
Wicked also has a large fanbase with dedicated Ozians going back to the theater to see it over and over again.
There's a reason why the stage version that opened in 2003, with original cast members Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, is still enchanting theatergoers on Broadway and in theaters around the world with a new generation of stars in the iconic roles.
As of Monday, Wicked: Part 1 made $128.3 million at the US and Canada box office and $50.4 million internationally for a worldwide total of $178.7 million.
Wicked: Part 2 is expected to hit theaters in November 2025, and we're placing our bets that Asquith will be going to see it, this time, with hankie in hand.
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