Box Office: ‘Wicked: For Good’ Dazzles With $150 Million, Biggest Debut for Broadway Adaptation

“Wicked” still knows about popular at the box office.

via: Variety

“Wicked: For Good,” Universal’s rendition of Act Two of the musical sensation, was No. 1 with $150 million from 4,115 North American theaters in its opening weekend. The film set a record for Broadway adaptations, shattering the debut of 2024’s “Wicked” which previously held the benchmark with $112.5 million over the same pre-Thanksgiving frame. These ticket sales also rank as the year’s second-biggest opening behind April’s “A Minecraft Movie” ($162 million) but above May’s “Lilo & Stitch” remake ($146 million).

“Wicked: For Good” collected an additional $76 million at the international box office, bringing its global total to $226 million. It marks the biggest overseas and global opening for a stage musical adaptation, also overtaking its predecessor, “Wicked,” which debuted to $50.2 million internationally and $164.2 million globally.

“This is broad-appealing Hollywood filmmaking at its best,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “Strong word-of-mouth is going to drive business through the Thanksgiving Holiday and into December. This is a smash.”

Although the second half of “Wicked” is much darker than the stage show’s fizzy first act, audiences remained charmed by “For Good.” The film landed an “A” grade on CinemaScore exit polls, the same as the first installment.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, “Wicked: For Good” has been billed as the must-see conclusion to Elphaba and Glinda’s epic journey down the Yellow Brick Road. This entry picks up as the Wizard and Madame Morrible attempt to turn all of Oz against the newly branded Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivo). Meanwhile the green witch’s perky, pink-loving BFF embraces her public persona as Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande). Like the initial installment, positive word-of-mouth and the catchy soundtrack are likely to drive repeat business through the rest of the year.

“Wicked: For Good” is providing a needed lift to the box office, which has been languishing in recent weeks without a major blockbuster to boost attendance. Although two upcoming releases, Disney’s “Zootopia 2” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” will help to end the year on a high note, overall domestic grosses are expected to remain just 3% ahead of 2024 by the time the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve.

As “Wicked: For Good” loomed over the domestic box office, two fellow new releases, Sony’s bloody action thriller “Sisu: Road to Revenge” and Searchlight’s dramedy “Rental Family,” fizzled in their respective debuts.

“Rental Family,” starring Brendan Fraser as a lonely, struggling actor who lands the not-so-plum job of playing stand-in roles for strangers in Japan, opened in fifth place with $3.2 million from 1,925 cinemas. Reviews and audience scores are strong (an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and “A” grade on CinemaScore), which could help the film stick around over the holiday season.

“Sisu 2” landed at No. 6 with $2.2 million from 2,222 theaters, behind already soft estimates of $3 million. Those ticket sales are behind the prior installment, 2022’s “Sisu,” which ignited to $3.3 million before tapping out with $7 million domestically and $14 million globally.

Holdover titles, including “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” “Predator: Badlands” and “The Running Man” rounded out the top five.

Second place went to “Now You See Me 3,” which added $9.6 million in its second weekend of release, a standard 54% drop from its debut. Lionsgate’s illusionist adventure has amassed $37 million domestically.

“Predator: Badlands” was No. 3 with $6.5 million in its third weekend, while “The Running Man” wasn’t far behind in fourth place with $6.1 million in its sophomore outing. Both are big-budget tentpoles that will struggle to recoup their budgets since theater owners get to keep half of ticket sales. “Badlands,” which cost $105 million, has earned $76 million domestically. “The Running Man,” which carries a $110 million price tag, has generated just $27 million in North America.