Universal Forced to Debunk Wicked Salary Rumors Amid Singing Debate

The nasty rumors on social media were such that the Universal Pictures studio was forced to step in and debunk the myths.

Misinformation had spread on Reddit that Ariana Grade was paid 15 times more than her co-star Cynthia Erivo. Grande’s salary was rumored to be $15 million compared to Erivo’s $1 million, even though Erivo takes the top spot.

Universal Studios said in a statement to Deadline: “Reports of pay disparities between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on the internet.

“Women received equal pay for their work on Wicked.”

Erivo is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London whose stage productions include The Color Purple, Henry IV and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His film work includes Widows, The Outsider, Genius and Bad Times at El Royale. She won a Tony in 2016 and was nominated for two Oscars for Harriet, for best actress and original song.

Grande is a popular recording artist who got her break as a teenager on Nickelodeon shows. Wicked is his first major film role. She has won two Grammys from 18 nominations.

Wicked is based on the hugely popular Broadway musical, itself based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, a revival of the Wizard of Oz character, The Wicked Witch of the West.

Erivo plays Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, while Grande plays Galinda, who later becomes Glinda the Good.

The first half of the two-part film series was released last week and broke world box office records for the highest-grossing film based on a Broadway musical. In Australia, it earned $8.93 million in its opening weekend, the second highest of the year behind Deadpool & Wolverine.

With a combined production budget between the two films (part two will be released in late 2025) of $300 million, part one stands at $164 million after less than a week.

A massive marketing campaign involving 450 partner brands, including Starbucks, Lexus and department stores such as Bloomingdales in the US and Liberty in the UK, has seen Wicked dominate cultural conversations and take over social media feeds .

Fans were also encouraged to get in the mood by dressing in green and pink, colors associated with Elphaba and Galinda.

But the fever also gave rise to debates about whether it was acceptable for enthusiasts, especially those with an existing connection to stage production, to sing aloud during movie screenings.

Dwayne Johnson, whose animated musical Moana 2 opens tomorrow, took sides when he told fans who paid “your hard-earned money for a ticket, and you walked into a musical and there you are, singing along” .

There are just as many who would strongly disagree, who don’t want to hear off-key tablemates trying to sing “Defying Gravity” in Erivo’s professional voice.

The American cinema chain AMC has explicitly asked moviegoers not to sing at the cinema.

Singing screenings of Wicked are planned in the United States and Singapore.

There have already been singing screenings in Australia for Frozen, Mary Poppins, Grease, Wish and The Greatest Showman.