Ariana Grande's heart-wrenching Instagram post on Tuesday morning, addressed to her devoted fans, served as a poignant testament to the sudden setback that had forced her to reschedule her much-anticipated trip to São Paulo, Brazil, for the world premiere of Jon M. Chu's musical fantasy sequel "Wicked For Good."
"Brazil, I can't believe this is happening and I am beyond devastated to be sending this message," Grande wrote with emotion. "A few hours ago, my team and I had to deplane our flight due to a safety issue that required maintenance on the plane. The flight will not take off until 1 a.m. tomorrow."
As Glinda in Universal's "Wicked" film adaptation alongside Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Grande's absence from the premiere was unavoidable despite the relentless efforts of her team and the studio. "My team and Universal have tried every single thing possible to fix this," she explained. "We searched every other flight, from overnight to early morning, connecting flights, commercial, and private options, but nothing was available or possible that would get us there in time."
Even a private option was off the table due to the necessary permit that takes time to obtain. "I am so heartbroken that I'm unable to be there with you all," she continued. "We sincerely tried everything we could and I apologize from the bottom of my heart."
In a follow-up post, Grande implored her followers not to assume or wish for danger on her and her team. "Please don't wish danger on us," she wrote. "We did everything we could and I promise you no one is more upset than I am." She went on to express her dismay at being unable to attend the premiere she had been looking forward to for a year. "Sending lots of love to you all. I hope it’s a beautiful and safe night. I love Brazil, I always have, I always will."
The premiere in São Paulo marks Universal's first major international rollout for the film, which screened last week for members of the Broadway company of the musical in New York. The next premieres are set for Paris on Nov. 7, London on Nov. 10, and Singapore on Nov. 13. The original "Wicked" movie, which came out in 2024 and scored 10 Oscar nominations, was an adaptation of the first act of the hit 2003 Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman.
