Why Ariana Grande’s real name was used in Wicked credits and nowhere else

There's a heartwarming reason why Ariana Grande decided to use her full name in the credits for the Wicked movies.

Wicked: For Good, the second instalment to the Wizard of Oz spinoff that everyone's been waiting for, finally arrived in the UK and around the world on Friday (21 November).

Fans have been donning their pink and green outfits and heading to the cinemas to watch the emotional conclusion, starring Ariana and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba.

According to Forbes Magazine, domestic ticket sales are already massive, with roughly $31 million raked in in early preview screenings for a nearly $70 million Friday gross.

The publication reports that the movie is now on pace for $155-160 million stateside, and another whopping $70-75 million internationally.

Now that a good number of fans have had the chance to see the sequel, they've been taking to social media to discuss all of their favourite scenes, songs, and details.

Ariana Grande opted to use her full name for the Wicked credits - here's why (Taylor Hill/WireImage/Getty Images)

And one thing people have noticed again this year is that Ariana opted to use her real full name for the credits - Ariana Grande-Butera, rather than just Ariana Grande.

The 32-year-old singer and actress is credited as Ariana Grande-Butera in both Wicked: Part One, which earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, as well as the new spellbinding sequel.

In a 2024 interview with Hit Network, she explained exactly why she chose to use this moniker when everywhere else in her career, she's simply gone by Ariana Grande.

She explained: "Technically, it's my little-girl name. It’s technically little Ari’s name.

“I just feel like this experience was such a homecoming for me. I feel like I came home to myself in a lot of ways through what I learned from Glinda, from Elphaba.

"That was my name when I went to see the show when I was 10 years old, and it felt like a really lovely way of honouring that. It felt really full-circle, and it just felt like something I wanted to do."

For those who aren't in the loop, Ariana's parents divorced when she was a child, and Grande is her mother Joan’s last name, while Butera is her father Ed's.

However, it looks like the change won't be sticking around, and this special honour will instead be reserved for Wicked only.

There's a heartwarming reason behind the decision (JC Olivera/Getty Images)

When Universal shared a press release revealing details of the Focker-In-Law sequel, she is credited as Ariana Grande alongside her castmates.

And when it was revealed in October that she'd be in next year's series of Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story series, her name appeared as Ariana Grande again.

Fans have been quick to notice the change and praise Ariana for the emotional choice, as well as gushing about the movie, taking to Twitter to share their thoughts.

One person penned: "Just saw Wicked for Good and Ariana Grande-Butera come get your Baddies chain.. I mean Oscar."

A second added: "I'm so excited to see “Ariana Grande-Butera” again in the credits for Wicked for Good."

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