“Wicked: For Good” earned an impressive $150 million across the U.S. and Canada during its opening weekend, setting a new record for the highest-grossing debut of a Broadway musical adaptation. According to the studio, it now ranks among the most successful movie musicals in history.
As the second part of the two-film adaptation, the movie reunites Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. It also achieved the third-biggest domestic opening weekend for a musical, trailing only Disney’s 2019 CGI remake of The Lion King and the 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast, based on data from Universal Pictures and Comscore.
The strong debut for “Wicked: For Good” also revitalized a struggling North American box office, which had endured a nine-week downturn where total weekly ticket sales remained below $100 million, Comscore reported.
Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic theatrical distribution, celebrated the film’s success:
“It’s absolutely tremendous to see all the hard work that our filmmakers — Marc Platt and Jon Chu — and our extraordinary cast of Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey put in for years. To see it pay off so handsomely is just beyond satisfying.”
While musicals often struggle to attract broad moviegoing audiences — with recent adaptations like Dear Evan Hansen and In the Heights underperforming — Hollywood has seen occasional hits such as Mamma Mia! generate blockbuster results.
A Risky Two-Film Strategy
Industry analyst Daniel Loria initially questioned Universal’s decision to split “Wicked” into two films, considering the risks associated with adapting stage musicals for the big screen.
“Most studios would have made this one movie,” said Loria, senior vice president of content strategy for The Boxoffice Company. “The fact that Universal managed to deliver two blockbusters from the same property is a remarkable achievement.”
Experts credit the enduring cultural impact of the original Broadway musical, Jon Chu’s inspired casting choices, and an aggressive global marketing campaign for the film’s exceptional results.
“There’s something about it that truly connects with younger audiences,” noted Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “‘Wicked’ is for today’s youth what The Sound of Music was for an older generation.”
Critical reviews for “Wicked: For Good” were mixed. New Yorker critic Justin Chang commented that parts of the film felt overly melodramatic, writing that too much of it “plays like Oz the World Turns.”
However, audiences reacted extremely positively. The film received an A CinemaScore rating from moviegoers and earned a 95% “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sean Gamble, president and CEO of Cinemark, said audience enthusiasm was overwhelming:
“The energy and anticipation leading up to this weekend kept building, resulting in an outstanding performance. ‘Wicked: For Good’ outperformed the first installment by 30% and delivered our second-biggest November opening ever.”
Universal’s Jim Orr added that the film performed especially well in Salt Lake City, suggesting strong appeal among families.
Including its robust international debut — bringing in $76 million across 78 markets — “Wicked: For Good” closed its opening weekend with a global total of approximately $226 million.