Universal Pictures’ two-part “Wicked” gamble continues to defy gravity at the box office. Less than a year after part one captivated audiences around the country, the epic conclusion, “Wicked: For Good,” saw even higher ticket sales during its opening weekend. According to studio estimates, “Wicked: For Good” earned an impressive $150 million from North American theaters in its opening days and $226 million globally.
This remarkable debut not only makes it the biggest opening ever for a Broadway musical adaptation, surpassing the first film's previous record of $112 million, but it also secured the position of the second biggest debut of the year, trailing only behind “A Minecraft Movie,” which earned $162 million. Jim Orr, head of domestic distribution for Universal, praised the results, stating, “The results are just fantastic. Some films can deliver a false positive when tickets go on sale early, but these results speak for themselves.”
“Wicked: For Good” began its rollout earlier in the week with previews on Monday, generating $6.1 million from 1,050 theaters, followed by $6.5 million on Wednesday from 2,300 theaters. By Friday, the film was showing in 4,115 North American locations, having accumulated $68.6 million. Notably, IMAX showings contributed $15.5 million, which accounts for 11% of its domestic earnings, marking a November record for the company.
Rich Gelfond, the CEO of IMAX, emphasized that the strong market share reflects a growing momentum that extends beyond traditional demographics and genres, including family audiences. Women particularly drove ticket sales, making up approximately 71% of the opening weekend audience according to PostTrak exit polls. While critics had mixed reviews of the final chapter, audience feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with 83% of viewers indicating they would “definitely recommend” the film to friends. Box office tracker EntTelligence estimated that around 2 million more attendees came out to see “Wicked: For Good” compared to the first film.
Directed once again by Jon M. Chu, “Wicked: For Good” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The first installment of the franchise grossed over $758.7 million globally and garnered ten Academy Award nominations, successfully winning two for costume and production design. The film's production costs are estimated to be around $300 million combined for both installments, excluding marketing and promotional expenses. Orr commented on the cultural impact of the franchise, stating, “The first film paved the way. It’s really become a cultural event that I think audiences are going to be flocking to theaters for quite some time to come.”
In addition to “Wicked: For Good,” two other films debuted in wide release over the weekend but lagged behind in ticket sales. Searchlight Pictures launched its Brendan Fraser film “Rental Family” in 1,925 theaters, earning $3.3 million, while Sony's action film “Sisu: Road to Revenge” was released in 2,222 theaters and managed to gross an estimated $2.6 million. In the box office rankings, “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” secured second place with $9.1 million in its second weekend, and “Predator: Badlands” followed closely with $6.3 million in its third weekend. “The Running Man” rounded out the top four with $5.8 million, representing a 65% drop from its debut last weekend.
Despite a competitive box office environment, “Wicked: For Good’s” success is seen as crucial for the film exhibition industry as the year draws to a close. Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Comscore, noted that the film sets up a strong finish for the year. The Thanksgiving holiday period often serves as a major timeframe for moviegoing; next week, “Zootopia 2” is set to join the lineup and is also anticipated to attract large crowds to theaters during the holiday season.
The domestic box office is currently projected to hover around $7.5 billion, contrasted with pre-pandemic annual figures that often reached $11 billion. The industry’s post-pandemic goal is now set at $9 billion, raising questions about whether upcoming titles such as “Wicked: For Good,” “Zootopia 2,” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” can help surpass this target.
