The Wiz to Return to Theaters on May 18 and 21

Universal Pictures has announced 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.

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. Joel Schumacher adapted the screenplay 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 97th 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.

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.