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USHE Press Release: Universal Pictures Announces Theatrical Re-Release of THE WIZ (1978) (1 Viewer)

Ronald Epstein

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*NEWS RELEASE*

UNIVERSAL PICTURES ANNOUNCES
THE THEATRICAL RE-RELEASE OF
THE ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATED 1978 MUSICAL SENSATION

1745690113895-Picture1.jpg

SPECIAL SCREENINGS OF THE CULTURAL LANDMARK
STARRING LEGENDARY SUPERSTARS
DIANA ROSS, MICHAEL JACKSON, RICHARD PRYOR and LENA HORNE
TO TAKE PLACE NATIONWIDE ON MAY 18 AND MAY 21, 2025

THE WIZ RETURNS IN A STUNNING 4K RESTORATION, WITH QUINCY JONES’
ICONIC ORIGINAL MUSIC REMIXED IN DOLBY ATMOS FOR A POWERFULLY
CAPTIVATING AND IMMERSIVE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE IN SELECT LOCATIONS

THEATRICAL TICKETS FOR THE RE-RELEASE ARE ON SALE NOW
AND CAN BE PURCHASED HERE


Universal City, Calif., April 28, 2025 — Universal Pictures is thrilled to announce the nationwide theatrical re-release of The Wiz, the 1978 Oscar-nominated musical starring music legends Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, screen icon Lena Horne and comedy titan Richard Pryor. The landmark film, which reimagines L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz through the lens of 1970s Black culture, will return to theaters nationwide for special screenings on May 18 and May 21, 2025.

The Wiz re-release will debut in theaters nationwide, with screenings in major markets across the country. Tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased here.

Nearly five decades since its original release, The Wiz remains a defining moment in cinematic history, celebrated for its bold, revolutionary vision of Oz. Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, The Wiz tells the story of Dorothy (Oscar nominee Ross), a Harlem schoolteacher who is transported to the magical land of Oz during a snowstorm. There, she embarks on a journey to meet the all-powerful ruler of Oz, The Wiz (Grammy and Emmy winner Richard Pryor), and find a way back home. Along the way, she is joined by the legendary trio of Scarecrow (Grammy winner Jackson), Tinman (comedian Nipsey Russell) and Cowardly Lion (Tony Award winner Ted Ross), alongside a stellar cast that includes Tony nominee Theresa Merritt as Aunt Em, Mabel King as Evillene, and Tony and Grammy winner Lena Horne as Glinda the Good.

Directed by five-time Academy Award nominee and Honorary Oscar recipient Sidney Lumet, The Wiz was a daring and ambitious film that captured the spirit of the Broadway show while reflecting the vibrant cultural zeitgeist of the 1970s. The screenplay was adapted by Joel Schumacher from William F. Brown's Tony Award-nominated Broadway book.

The film’s music, a vibrant fusion of soul, R&B, rock and gospel, remains an unforgettable part of its cultural legacy. Legendary music titan Quincy Jones, the film’s music supervisor and producer, reimagined Charlie Smalls’ Broadway compositions, infusing them with cinematic grandeur that brought the music to life on the big screen. The collaboration between Jones and Michael Jackson during The Wiz proved transformative for both artists, leading Jones to produce Jackson's breakthrough adult solo album Off the Wall, followed by Thriller and Bad, creating three of the most influential and commercially successful albums in recording history.

To celebrate the film’s return to theaters, Universal Pictures has restored The Wiz in stunning 4K, drawing from preserved archival elements housed within its 113-year-old film and television archive. The restoration utilized the original 35mm negative, the 35mm magnetic audio stems, and both the 1” 8-track stereo music masters and 2” 24-track original music recordings. As part of the project, Universal’s team of restoration experts conducted extensive research into the original music produced by Quincy Jones, remixing the original recordings in Dolby Atmos. The new mix will be presented in select theaters, offering an immersive sonic experience that honors the brilliance of Jones’s original work while enhancing it for today’s theatrical environment.
Released in October 1978, The Wiz received four Academy Award nominations: Best Cinematography for Oswald Morris; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration for Tony Walton, Philip Rosenberg, Edward Stewart and Robert Drumheller; Best Costume Design for Walton; and Best Music Adaptation Score for Jones.

In the decades since its release, The Wiz has evolved from popular entertainment into a cinematic classic, admired for its artistic vision, cultural significance, and Grammy Award-nominated soundtrack. The film established a new paradigm for musical adaptations, demonstrating how classic stories could be reimagined through different cultural perspectives.
The film’s enduring cultural significance was recently highlighted during the 97 Academy Awards ceremony, where the telecast opened with a captivating Oz-themed medley featuring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the Oscar-nominated stars of Universal's Wicked. Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner and Oscar nominee Erivo delivered a stirring rendition of “Home,” the emotional centerpiece of The Wiz. Later in the ceremony, during a tribute to the towering legacy of the late Quincy Jones, Oscar-nominee Queen Latifah performed the film’s infectious anthem, “Ease on Down the Road.”

Erivo and Grande will reprise their roles as witches Elphaba and Glinda when Wicked: For Good, the second installment of Jon M. Chu's two-part cinematic event, arrives in theaters November 21, 2025.
 

SD_Brian

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When did four screenings become a "theatrical re-release?"

I guess my definition of re-release comes from days of yore when movies would return to theaters for several weeks.
 

Jake Lipson

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When did four screenings become a "theatrical re-release?"
This is how Fathom Events has done re-releases for the past several years. Doing a limited number of screenings forces people who are interested to go at the same time. It makes sense for the theater if a bunch of people come a handful of times because then they've sold a lot of tickets. If a only couple people come per screening across several weeks of screenings, then they're probably losing money because a newer film could be scheduled in that auditorium instead.

Of course, there are exceptions where traditional re-releases are successful. The full schedule Revenge of the Sith re-release that is happening now is one. I'm pretty sure The Lion King re-release when it was primarily shown in 3D was the last traditional re-release to be #1 at the box office. But those are few and far between.
 
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SD_Brian

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This is how Fathom Events has done re-releases for the past several years. Doing a limited number of screenings forces people who are interested to go at the same time.
I get that, but Fathom Events doesn't refer to their Big Screen Classics series as "theatrical re-releases," they call them "Events."

I will concede that these screenings of The Wiz technically qualify as a "theatrical re-release," as it's in limited re-release, and it's in theaters (for two non-consecutive days), but still, when I think of "theatrical re-releases," the current Revenge of the Sith style re-release is what comes to mind. The rest are just "special screenings."

It's all semantics, I know.
 

Jake Lipson

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when I think of "theatrical re-releases," the current Revenge of the Sith style re-release is what comes to mind. The rest are just "special screenings."
Understood. And for the record, I love re-releases and I wish the studios would do more of them. The problem is that traditional longer re-releases for older titles like you're talking about don't (usually) draw enough people out to be worthwhile anymore. Huge successes like Revenge of the Sith are pretty rare now. The Lion King, which was #1 at the box office fora while in September 2011, came out again last summer for its 30th anniversary. That time, I was the only person in the whole auditorium when I went to see it.

At least Fathom's model has made it possible for more older films to be shown, I doubt The Wiz would be successful under a full schedule, but should be able to perform well for its four screenings. If that's how we get it back in theaters, that's okay by me.
 
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