‘Wicked’ Soars to No. 1 with $114M Opening Weekend, Setting Records for a Musical Adaptation

Universal’s highly anticipated adaptation of Wicked has enchanted audiences, debuting at No. 1 in North America with a massive $114 million from 3,888 theaters over the weekend. This dazzling performance makes Wicked the third-biggest domestic debut of the year, trailing only Deadpool & Wolverine ($211 million) and Inside Out 2 ($154 million).

The film, which adapts Act One of the beloved Broadway musical with some added material, also set records within the genre. It achieved the fourth-biggest opening ever for a musical, surpassing Disney’s The Little Mermaid remake ($95.5 million) but sitting behind Frozen II ($130 million). Additionally, Wicked claimed the title of the best opening for a Broadway adaptation, easily surpassing the $31 million debut of 2014’s Into the Woods.

Globally, Wicked brought in an additional $50.2 million at the international box office, pushing its worldwide opening tally to an impressive $164.2 million. This marks the largest global debut for a Broadway-inspired film, dethroning Universal’s 2012 hit Les Miserables, which earned $103 million in its first weekend.

“It’s a juggernaut,” said David A. Gross, head of Franchise Entertainment Research. “Audiences are making the singing and costume experience their own.”

A Blockbuster Weekend

While Wicked dominated the charts, Paramount’s Gladiator II, the R-rated sequel to Ridley Scott’s iconic 2000 film, earned a solid $55.5 million from 3,573 theaters, securing second place. The historical epic, arriving 25 years after the original, attracted a primarily male audience.

Unlike 2023’s “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, where audiences flocked to see Barbie and Oppenheimer as a double feature, it’s unclear if Wicked and Gladiator II boosted each other’s performance or simply benefited from strategic counterprogramming. Either way, the weekend generated approximately $210 million in total ticket sales, making it one of the biggest of the year.

Looking ahead, the box office is expected to stay strong with Disney’s Moana 2 arriving on Nov. 27. However, overall ticket sales for the year remain 10.5% behind 2023 and 26.6% behind pre-pandemic 2019, according to Comscore.

“Healthy competition combined with premium experiences drives success,” said Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “This weekend is a tremendous catalyst for a strong finish to the year.”

A Decade-Long Journey

Directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, Wicked marks the culmination of over a decade of development. Universal backed the film with an extensive promotional campaign, including 400 brand partnerships that rivaled the ubiquity of Barbie.

The stakes are high for Universal, as Wicked: Part Two, which will cover the musical’s second act, is set to hit theaters in 2025. Combined, the two films carry a production cost of $300 million, not including the substantial marketing expenses.

A Rare Cinematic Hit for a Musical

Despite the stage success of Wicked, its blockbuster performance on screen is a rarity. Few musical adaptations have struck the right chord with moviegoers in recent years. While Les Miserables ($442 million globally) and Into the Woods ($212 million globally on a $50 million budget) were hits a decade ago, more recent efforts like West Side Story, In the Heights, Dear Evan Hansen, Cats, and The Color Purple struggled to achieve widespread success.

With its record-breaking debut, Wicked has proven that with the right mix of nostalgia, spectacle, and marketing magic, musicals can still cast a powerful spell on the big screen.