Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande received equal pay for their work on “Wicked,” with Universal calling the rumors of pay disparity between them “completely false.”
“Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on Internet fodder,” a Universal spokesperson told TheWrap on Tuesday. “The women received equal pay for their work on ‘Wicked.’”
Over the weekend, users on TikTok and Reddit spread false claims that Grande received $15 million while Erivo was paid $1 million for their roles in the film. Multiple outlets like the New York Post soon followed.
“Wicked” covers the first act of the 2003 Broadway play, with a second part coming in November 2025. The two films were shot together — albeit with delays caused by last year’s SAG-AFTRA strike — and carried a reported combined production budget of $300 million before a costly, global marketing campaign.
“Wicked” rejuvenated the box office after weeks of declining grosses, earning the third-highest opening weekend of 2024 with $114 million from 3,888 theaters.
That sits behind only “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($211.4 million) and “Inside Out 2” ($154.2 million) on this year’s opening weekend list, and shatters the $31 million record set in 2014 by “Into the Woods” for the highest opening by a Broadway adaptation.
Jon M. Chu’s musical has earned stellar reception across the board, including Rotten Tomatoes scores of 89% critics and 98% audience, an A on CinemaScore and a 5/5 on PostTrak, with a stunning 80% surveyed giving the film a “definite recommend,” the highest rating on the audience exit poll.
“Wicked: Part I” is now playing in theaters.
