Wicked 2024 Movie Gets Official Age Rating

Jon Chu’s 2024 Wicked movie finally has its rating, and it might surprise some.

The upcoming movie musical serves as the first part of the iconic Broadway story set in the world of The Wizard of Oz. 

Starring the likes of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the film traces the origins of the Wicked Witch of the West (as seen in the iconic 1939 Hollywood classic), following the beloved movie villain in an exploration of what makes one profoundly wicked.

Wicked 2024 Rating Revealed

In anticipation of the upcoming Wicked movie, the 2024 film has been officially rated.

To the surprise of some, the movie will be rated PG (per FilmRatings) when it hits theaters in November. The movie’s official rating description cites “scary action, thematic material, and brief suggestive material:”

“Rated PG for some scary action, thematic material and brief suggestive material.”

This rating may be surprising because many had thought the Wicked film would be PG-13 when it was released.

The Wicked story tackles some fairly dark and mature subject matter, making many assume it would have a similarly mature rating – especially given that the Wicked movie will have plenty of time to dip into those darker themes because it is being split into two full-length movies.

The recommended age for the Wicked musical is eight and up, with no children under five being admitted to shows (via the official Wicked website).

What To Expect from the Wicked Movie?

While its PG rating may disappoint some fans hoping the Wicked movie would dive deep into some of the more intense themes of the book the musical is based on, it makes sense why the movie is taking that direction.

Many hoped this would be a more faithful adaptation of the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, but the movie leaning on the more family-friendly affair of the Broadway musical does feel like an obvious choice.

This is particularly the case since most diehard Wicked fans know the story from its musical iteration and not from the book on which the musical is based.

While PG-13 movies have broken through to the mainstream, with the likes of Avatar and Avengers: Endgame (the two highest-grossing films of all-time) sporting the rating, there still may be some hesitancy with parents and bringing their family to see something rated higher than PG.

This rating ensures the most widespread appeal for the Wicked movie. This adaptation is a big play for Universal Pictures, and the studio is hoping for as big a return as possible.

While the movie likely would have been be a big hit based on name recognition alone, getting to that PG mark could help it appeal to an even broader audience and bump that box office total up further.

Wicked soars into theaters on November 22.