It seems like only yesterday Wicked made its streaming debut on Peacock, but the Oscar-nominated musical will soon be leaving the platform. In a disgusticifing turn of events, Peacock has confirmed Wicked will be removed from its catalog of available titles after July 20. That’s right, Peacock is about to pull one of its biggest movies in a move that is sure to frustrate fans.
While Peacock has the benefit of becoming the exclusive streaming home to Universal’s theatrical releases following their theatrical runs, the films do not always last long on the service. This is because of a unique deal Universal has with Prime Video, which holds the second-run rights for Universal films. This means that Universal movies such as Wicked must go to Prime Video after their initial run on Peacock, thus why Wicked is being pulled from Peacock just four months after it first arrived in March.
Unfortunately, it’s not just Wicked that is leaving Peacock.
In addition to removing Wicked from its catalog, Peacock will also be bidding farewell to the Wicked Sing-Along edition, Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked documentary, and the Making Wicked documentary. It’s unclear whether these additions will also be moving to Prime Video, but it seems highly likely Prime Video will soon become home to these titles as well. All three titles are slated to leave Peacock on July 20 as well, hinting that the full collection will be making the move to Prime Video on July 25.
What remains unknown is how long Peacock might be without Wicked and whether the streaming service will be able to regain the rights before Wicked: For Good opens in theaters this November. One would imagine Universal would want to try to get the film back on its streaming platform in the fall as fan interest peaks once more. Universal has done a masterful job in promoting the film and is already gearing up for another major promotional push this fall.
Fans are anticipating that Universal will re-release Wicked in theaters, timed to Wicked: For Good. We also know that NBC is set to air a 2-hour Wicked: For Good special on Nov. 6 featuring performances from Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Glinda), which is also expected to bring fans special looks at the closing chapter of the film.
In the meantime, fans hoping to be able to enjoy Wicked from the comfort of their homes will need to make sure they have an active Prime Video account so that they can continue to defy gravity once the film moves to Prime Video on July 25, 2025.
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