One of the most popular movies of 2024, is now available on streaming. (Sorry, I had a chance to make a Popular pun, and I took it. Hopefully youre not loathing me right now, okay okay Ill stop.)Wicked, the blockbuster adaptation of (one-half of) the hit Broadway musical, is now available on Peacock. The streaming service has actually made the film available in two different versions; the standard theatrical cut as well asWicked: Sing-Alongwhich features the lyrics to the shows onscreen and also includes an introduction from the films stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.The film arrives on streaming after a very successful run in theaters. All told,Wicked earned $473.2 million in U.S. theaters, plus another $266 million abroad, making it the fifth-biggest blockbuster of 2024 and the#1 film of the year that wasnt a sequel. (The other top-grossing titles of the year, in order, wereInside Out 2,Deadpool & Wolverine,Moana 2, andDespicable Me 4.)WICKEDUniversalloading...READ MORE: The movie, which remains extremely faithful to the Broadway show, is a prequel toThe Wizard of Oz, and imagines the early years and friendship of two of its witches, Glinda the Good (Erivo) and the Wicked Witch of the West (Erivo), who is depicted as a misunderstood outcast named Elphaba.The film only adapts the Broadway shows first act, and it is a little frustrating to only get half the story. Still, as I wrote in myreview, the material thatisin the movie is adapted with a lot of visual and technical flair, and the performers are absolutely first-rate...The entire productionproceeds in careful harmony. The sets byproduction designer Nathan Crowley are grand and beautiful; bigger and better than anything you can see on Broadway. (Fiyeros mission statement of a number, Dancing Through Life, gets a relocated to an elaborate library filled with bookshelves shaped like massive spinning drums,which are utilized for some truly impressive flips, spins, and slides.) The choreography byChristopher Scott takes advantage of the nimble camerawork and themassive ensemble of dancers. And director Jon M. Chu capturesall that movement with a variety of different camera tricks and techniques. (The comic two-hander Loathing is filled with clever split screens; One Short Day deploys a series of long-take POV shots to tour the elaborate Emerald City set and its dancing denizens.) Its a beautiful production thathonors the popular stage musical and blows it up to a blockbuster budget.Both the regular and sing-along versions ofWickedarestreaming now on Peacock. The secondhalf of the film,Wicked: For Good, is scheduled to open in theaters on November 21.Get our free mobile appLive-Action Movies Would Make Great Animated FilmsAn animated remake of a live-action movie? Someone should try it.