Ariana Grande has been forced to cancel her trip to Brazil for the world premiere of Jon M. Chu’s highly anticipated musical fantasy sequel Wicked for Good in Sao Paulo after a last-minute flight safety issue forced her to cancel her trip to Brazil in Sao Paulo, she revealed in an emotional Instagram post to fans on Tuesday morning.
“Dear Brazilians, I can’t believe this is happening. I am beyond shocked to send this message,” Grande wrote. “A few hours ago, my team and I had to get off the plane because we had to do some maintenance on the plane due to a safety issue. The plane won’t take off until 1 a.m. tomorrow.”
Grande, who plays Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo in Universal’s Wicked movie, said that despite the efforts of her team and the studio, there was no way she could make it in time for the premiere.
“My team and Universal have tried everything possible to resolve this issue,” she explained. “We looked at all night, early morning, connecting, commercial and commercial options, but there was nothing available or likely to get us there in time. Even if we were to try the commercial option, we would need a permit to fly from here and it would take time to get one.”
The first Wicked movie, released in 2024 and nominated for 10 Oscars, was an adaptation of the first act of Stephen Schwartz and Holzman’s hit 2003 Broadway musical. The sequel, on the other hand, dramatizes the second act. The sequel is already garnering early Oscar buzz.
The premiere was supposed to be Grande’s first in-person domestic appearance in years. “I’m heartbroken that I can’t be with you all,” she said. “We have tried our best to do our best, but we sincerely apologize.”
Grande asked her fans to “shower my amazing castmates with all the love I wish I could shower you with the most beautiful celebration.”
The São Paulo premiere of Wicked for Good marks Universal’s first major international release of the film, which was shown last week to members of the Broadway Musical Company in New York. The next premieres are scheduled for November 7th in Paris, November 10th in London, and November 13th in Singapore.
