Wicked: For Good’s new poster is full of sloppy editing fails

As a huge fan of the Wicked franchise, I'm undeniably hyped for the sequel Wicked: For Good, but no thanks to the film's lacklustre poster campaign. While the first film had its own poster drama (even attracting the attention of lead actress Cynthia Erivo), the highly anticipated sequel is also gaining a scorched reputation for its questionable editing and dull design.

The best movie posters often take a less-is-more approach – think Jaws or E.T. – and while Wicked: For Good has bucked the trends, it has sadly been to its detriment. With overstimulatingly bright colours and cloying CGI graphics, the designs have not proven popular with fans, and the latest posters are unfortunately no different.

The latest For Good posters feature a dual set of contrasting designs starring protagonists Glinda and Elphaba. With the poster's dull, muddy-looking palette, Elphaba's brooding aesthetic is flattened by her poster design, but given its simplicity, it seems to be the more favoured of the pair.

Glinda's poster, on the other hand, is a visual cacophony of garish colour and questionable design. Despite its blurred background, eagle-eyed fans noticed the botched editing of the background characters, the sloppily pasted-in flowers and the warped tiling, leading to AI allegations. Fans on X were quick to voice their opinions, with one joking, “If we add Gaussian blur they won’t know it’s AI”. Another scathingly added, "Wicked has consistently been rolling out some of the ugliest posters I have ever seen"

It's disappointing to see the Wicked sequel graced with such shoddy posters, given that the film's practical elements, like costuming, set and prop design, are clearly thoughtfully crafted. I'm praying we get at least one beautiful poster that's on par with the franchise's stunning concept art before the release on 21 November, but given its track record, I'm not getting my hopes up too much.