The display from the Mayor featured prominent visuals and songs from Wicked: For Good in an ‘event partnership’ between his office and Universal Pictures.
Cynthia Erivo, who stars as Elphaba in the movie, recorded a message encouraging people to “embrace the magic that we all have inside and come together, for good”.
The 100,000 people lining the banks of the River Thames and millions more watching on BBC television saw visuals from the film projected onto the London Eye.
But viewers were unimpressed, with one tweeting: “I found the fireworks boring, and why was there basically an advert for Wicked in the middle?”
Another wrote: “The Wicked ad in the middle of the fireworks OMFG. Late-stage capitalism has gone too far.” And a third said: “The Wicked ad felt weird though, yes? Why did my fireworks come with a side of marketing?”
The song “Defying Gravity” played as fireworks lit up the sky in the film’s pink and green colours along with images of Elphaba and Glinda, played by Ariana Grande.
The message from Erivo – recently made an MBE – said: “Hello fellow Londoners. As we travel the Yellow Brick Road into a New Year, let us stand for positivity and hope, embrace the magic that we all have inside and come together, for good.”
This was followed by an excerpt from “Defying Gravity”, before Erivo added: “Happy New Year.”
It follows the release of Wicked: For Good in cinemas on November 22nd 2025....<<<Read More>>>...