When Should You Take Your Bathroom Breaks During Wicked?

Light spoilers ahead for Wicked. Whether or not you pick up an Elphaba cold brew on your way to the theater, Wicked ’s two-hour-and-forty-one-minute run time poses a challenge for the well-hydrated moviegoer. If you’re a die-hard fan of the Broadway musical the film adapts, you might be tempted to try and hold it, so as not to miss a second of the magic also known as Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s voices.

But any fan with a fickle bladder needs to know one thing — without proper bathroom planning, you will pee your pants during the finale. Fortunately for all, Wicked covers only Act 1 of its source material, meaning there is just enough padding to allow a few bathroom breaks without missing key moments, fun surprises, or any of the expanded backstories that don’t exist in the musical. Bathroom-Break Option No.

1 If you try to use the restroom before the movie starts, but the line is way too long thanks to the Gladiator II showing that just finished next door, fear not — your first chance to escape arrives less than 20 minutes in. After you’ve enjoyed the grand entrances of the movie’s most highly anticipated faces, you’ll watch Elphaba’s family, the Thropps, arrive at Shiz University, where Elphaba’s father gives her younger sister, Nessarose, a shiny pair of new shoes that look suspiciously like the ones a certain Kansas farm girl is known to wear. When he shows Nessa the shoes in their box, you can safely step out for about four minutes without miss.