‘Wicked: For Good’ Opens to Record-Smashing $151 Million
Los Angeles – Universal’s Wicked: For Good launched to aโ phenomenal $151 million โdomesticallyโฃ over the three-day weekend, shatteringโค box office expectations and setting numerous records. Starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, the film’s success signals aโ powerful โขresurgence in female-driven cinema and a major win for Broadwayโ adaptations.
The female-fueled movie is poised toโข redefine opening weekend โขbenchmarks. domestically, it boasts theโ biggest start ever โfor โa Broadway musicalโ adaptation, surpassing last year’s Wicked at $112.5 million. It โalso ranks as the third-biggest opening of all time among any musical, trailing only 2019’s The Lion King โ and โ2017’s Beauty and the Beast. Further, it marks the second-biggest North American opening ever for โขa Universal title, behind โ Jurassic World ($208.8 million), and the second-best pre-Thanksgiving โคweekend launch behind The Hunger Games: catching Fire ($158.1 million). It currently stands โas the second-best three-day launchโ of 2025 to date, behind A Minecraft Movie ($208.9 million). Lilo &โ Stitch, released over โMemorial Day, earned $147 million for the three-day weekend and $182.6 millionโ for the four-day holiday frame.
Globally, Wicked: For Good โฃ has already surpassed the original Wicked to claim the top launch ever for a Broadway adaptation.It’s projected to become the fifth-biggest opening of all time for any musical, behind The Lion King (2019), Moana 2, Frozen 2, and Beauty and the Beast. The film is also โcurrently the fourth-biggest three-day opening of the year, trailing Jurassic World Rebirth, Minecraft, and โ Lilo & Stitch.
The film’s performance is a significant boost โขto the North American box office, which has recently struggled โdue to a โฃprevalence of male-skewing films and a lack of content appealing to female and family audiences. Notably, nearly 70โฃ percent of Friday’s audience were female, demonstrating ample buyingโค power among girls and women.
This success follows the original Wicked’s historic debut a โคyear ago, which ultimately grossed nearly $750โ million globally -โข a record for a broadway musical โคadaptation. NBCUniversal entertainment chiefโ Donna Langley has championed these adaptations, โeven after the underperformance of Cats, and has now demonstrably succeeded in revitalizing the genre.
