When Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and director Jon M. Chu took the stage in Las Vegas last April to tease "Wicked" months before its theatrical release, there was a cautious optimism that the long-anticipated film would be a hit.

But when the pair hit the same stage at the annual CinemaCon convention Wednesday to promote "Wicked: For Good," it felt like a kind of victory lap following the first movie's critical acclaim and box office success.