Universal Pictures’ Wicked: Part 1 is on the move.

Director Jon M. Chu’s big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical will now open in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024 — the eve of Thanksgiving — instead of Dec. 25, 2024.

The star-studded cast includes Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande alongside Michelle Yeoh, who made history Sunday when winning the Oscar for best actress, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey and Ethan Slater.

Insiders say the move to Thanksgiving gives the movie more time to build an audience over the year-end holidays and is also beneficial from a consumer products standpoint. Chu, Erivo and Grande announced the new release date on their social media feeds.

Wicked Part I, based on the bestselling novel by Gregory Maguire, is adapted for the screen by the stage production’s book writer Winnie Holzman and by Academy Award winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. The Broadway stage musical is produced by Universal Stage Productions.

More to come.