‘Wicked: For Good’ Soars with $20M+ Thursday Night Box Office
Universal‘s Wicked: For Good is off to a strong start, grossing an estimated $20 million to $22 million in Thursday night previews. Including Amazon sneak previews adn Wednesday fan showings, the total is considerably higher, positioning the film for a potentially record-breaking opening weekend.
This impressive debut signals continued strong audience interest in the Wicked franchise and builds upon the success of the first film, which opened to $112.5 million domestically – the best ever for a movie based on a broadway musical. While some projections estimate a weekend exceeding $175 million, industry analysts suggest a more conservative, yet still substantial, range of $125 million to $150 million for the domestic opening.
The film’s Thursday performance surpasses the previous year’s preview total of $19.2 million, which was comprised of $11 million from 2 PM Thursday showtimes, $2.5 million from Monday previews, and $5.7 million from Wednesday fan showtimes. Those previews represented 42% of the first film’s $46.2 million Friday debut.
Wicked: For Good is currently tracking with a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, slightly higher than the original film’s 95%. The sequel is expected to follow a similar demographic pattern, skewing 72% female and with 57% of the audience between the ages of 18-34, based on Screen Engine/Comscore PostTrak exits.
The studio anticipates a significant portion of the film’s revenue will come from domestic markets, mirroring the first film’s performance where 63% of its $758.4 million global gross originated in the U.S. and Canada.Worldwide opening weekend forecasts exceed $200 million.
