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Universal Pictures’ bold bet on the “Wicked” saga is paying off handsomely at the box office, as the two-part series continues to soar in popularity.
Following the overwhelming success of the first installment last year, which captivated audiences nationwide, the sequel, “Wicked: For Good,” has drawn even larger crowds. According to Sunday’s studio estimates, the film grossed $150 million domestically during its opening weekend, with global earnings reaching an impressive $226 million.
This achievement marks the highest opening ever for a Broadway musical adaptation, surpassing the original film’s $112 million debut. Additionally, it ranks as the second-largest opening of the year, trailing only the $162 million launch of “A Minecraft Movie.”
Jim Orr, Universal’s head of domestic distribution, expressed his delight, stating, “The results are just fantastic. While some films might show early ticket sales that don’t lead to results, this one truly speaks for itself.”
“Wicked: For Good” began its theatrical run with early previews starting Monday, grossing $6.1 million from 1,050 locations and $6.5 million from 2,300 theaters on Wednesday. By Friday, it was showing in 4,115 theaters across North America, amassing $68.6 million. IMAX screenings contributed $15.5 million, representing 11% of its domestic earnings and setting a new November record for the format.
IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond said in a statement that the strong market share shows, “our momentum carries into demos and genres beyond our traditional core, including families.”
As with the first film, women powered opening weekend, making up around 71% of ticket buyers according to PostTrak exit polls. Critics were somewhat mixed on the final chapter, but audiences weren’t: An overwhelming 83% of audiences said it was one they would “definitely recommend” to friends. As far as foot traffic is concerned, the box office tracker EntTelligence estimates that about 2 million more people came out for “Wicked: For Good’s” first weekend than for “Wicked’s.”
Jon M. Chu directed both “Wicked” films, starring Cynthia Ervio and Ariana Grande. The first film made over $758.7 million worldwide and received 10 Oscar nominations (winning two, for costume and production design ). The question is how high “Wicked: For Good” can soar. Combined, the two films cost around $300 million to produce, not including marketing and promotion costs.
“The first film paved the way,” Orr said. “It’s really become a cultural event I think audiences are going to be flocking to theaters for quite some time to come.”
Top 10 movies by domestic box office, according to Comscore
- “Wicked: For Good,” $150 million
- “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” $9.1 million
- “Predator: Badlands,” $6.3 million
- “The Running Man,” $5.8 million
- “Rental Family,” $3.3 million
- “Sisu: Road to Revenge,” $2.6 million
- “Regretting You,” $1.5 million
- “Nuremberg,” $1.2 million
- “Black Phone 2,” $1 million
- “Sarah’s Oil,” $711,542
Two other films also opened in wide release this weekend, but further down on the charts behind a buffet of holdovers. Searchlight Pictures opened its Brendan Fraser film “Rental Family” in 1,925 theaters where it earned $3.3 million. The Finnish action film “Sisu: Road to Revenge,” a Sony release, also played in 2,222 theaters. It earned an estimated $2.6 million.
Second place went to “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” with $9.1 million in its second weekend, followed by “Predator: Badlands” with $6.3 million in weekend three. “The Running Man” followed in fourth place with $5.8 million, down 65% from its debut last weekend.
Although this weekend the box office was more of a winner takes all scenario, “Wicked: For Good’s” success is vitally important for the exhibition industry as a whole as it enters the final weeks of the year.
“It sets up a very strong final homestretch of the year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of marketplace trends.
After the slow fall season, the Thanksgiving blockbusters could not arrive soon enough. Early next week, “Zootopia 2” enters the mix and is also expected to drive big crowds to the cineplex over the holiday break.
Thanksgiving is often one of the biggest moviegoing frames of the year, Dergarabedian said, and both “Wicked 2” and “Zootopia 2” will benefit. Last year “Wicked,” “Moana 2” and “Gladiator II” helped power a record five-day frame.
The running domestic box office is currently hovering around $7.5 billion, according to Comscore. Before the pandemic, the annual box office would regularly hit $11 billion, but the post-pandemic goal has lessened to $9 billion. The big question now is whether titles like “Wicked: For Good,” “Zootopia 2” and “Avatar:Fire and Ash” can push the industry over that threshold.
