Midday at the Movies: Sizing up Hollywood's holiday-season flicks

By Tom Hall,

Published December 5, 2025 at 12:00 PM EST

Wicked for Good, the second of director John Chu's two-part adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, continues the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivo), and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (Ariana Grande). The film is currently the second-highest grossing film in the US, earning nearly $300 million since its November 21 release — brightening an otherwise disappointing year for the American movie industry. — **Wicked for Good**, the second of director John Chu's two-part adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, continues the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivo), and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (Ariana Grande). The film is currently the second-highest grossing film in the US, earning nearly $300 million since its November 21 release — brightening an otherwise disappointing year for the American movie industry.

It's Midday at the Movies, our monthly look at films and filmmaking. Joining Tom in Studio A is our favorite movie maven, Jed Dietz, the founder and former director of the Maryland Film Festival.

He and Tom take a look at the current crop of Hollywood releases and consider some of our favorite Christmas-season movies, from It's a Wonderful Life to Elf, and of course, Tom's all-time fave, Love, Actually.

What's your favorite holiday movie? And what are the best new films you've seen, on the big screen or streaming? Let us know!

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(Audio of this program will be posted here after the live broadcast.)