Wicked: For Good has defied gravity at the box office, opening to an astonishing $150 million from 4,115 North American theatres in its debut weekend, per variety.com. The spectacular performance secures the film the title of biggest opening for a Broadway adaptation in history, smashing the previous record set by its predecessor, 2024’s Wicked ($112.5 million).
The second installment of the beloved musical also conjured an additional $76 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to a massive $226 million. This also marks the biggest global opening for a stage musical adaptation, signaling that the epic journey of Glinda and Elphaba remains “very very popular.”
The film’s domestic total ranks as the year’s second-biggest opening, trailing only behind April’s A Minecraft Movie ($162 million) but flying high above May’s Lilo & Stitch remake ($146 million).
“This is broad-appealing Hollywood filmmaking at its best,” says David A. Gross, who runs Franchise Entertainment Research. “Strong word-of-mouth is going to drive business through the Thanksgiving Holiday and into December. This is a smash.”
The sequel, which adapts Act Two of the Broadway show, picks up as Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), newly branded the Wicked Witch of the West, faces off against the political machinations of the Wizard and Madame Morrible, while her pink-loving BFF embraces her destiny as Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande).
Despite the darker tone, audiences – 71% of which were female – were charmed, rewarding the film with an outstanding “A” grade on CinemaScore exit polls, matching the first installment.
Universal’s domestic distribution chief Jim Orr noted the importance of the timing, stating, “This weekend is great to open a movie because of the upcoming holiday period. We knew we had the playability, and these audience scores point to the similar long run for the first film.”
