You’ve seen the interviews, and loved the memes. And it seems people are seeing and loving Wicked with this impressive opening.
The Jon M. Chu-directed spectacle launched this weekend after decades of development and a highly impressive marketing campaign, and it earned significant money. It’s reported that Wicked opened to $114M domestic and $164.2M worldwide.
It’s an amazing weekend for the film, which has set itself as a record-breaking success right off the bat. It’s the biggest global and domestic opening for a movie based on a Broadway show, surpassing the worldwide opening of 2012’s Les Miserables ($103M) and the domestic opening of Into the Woods ($31M).
It’s now the highest global opening of the year for a non-sequel, a spot previously held China’s Yolo at $112M. It’s been a sequel—and franchise-dominated year, so this new IP entering the film space shows that the musical name has held much weight. It’s also a great outing for the month as the second biggest domestic opening for a musical feature in November, behind 2019’s Frozen II‘s $130.2M.
We also see its star Ariana Grande break records for pop stars turned actors, with the talented vocalist now having the biggest domestic opening for a pop star. She floats over fellow divas Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born at $42.5M, Britney Spears’ 2002 film Crossroads at $14.5M, and Taylor Swift with her feature role in Cats at $6.6M.
Cynthia Erivo also has a star-making moment, surpassing her previous highest-grossing opening, the overlooked film Widows. After signing a first-look deal with Universal, Erivo is now looking to make an impressive impression in Hollywood.
As for the other big weekend release, Wicked‘s co-star in the “GLICKED” weekend, Gladiator II, came in second place with $55.5M domestically. With its global release a few weeks ago, the Ridley Scott-directed sequel has already earned $165.5M worldwide, totaling $221 million.
With Wicked about to be holding space at the box office, will it be able to stand strong against Moana 2 in the coming weeks? Great legs will help this musical, but it’s already hard to deny this is a phenomenon.
After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, Wicked makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen as a spectacular, generation-defining cinematic event this holiday season.
Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart.
The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
