How much did The Wicked movie earn on its first day of release? Everything we know so far

The Wicked, a cinematic adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical, premiered in theaters on November 22, 2024. The highly anticipated film captured the imaginations of audiences, marking a significant moment in cinematic history. Set in the fantastical Land of Oz, it explores the backstory of Elphaba and Glinda, characters made famous by the musical.

As it was released, the movie quickly rose to the top of the box office. It started making headlines for its opening-day performance.

The movie earned an impressive $46.7 million from 3,888 theaters on its first day, including $7.9 million from advance screenings on Monday and Wednesday earlier in the week. Without these early previews, the figure settles just behind the opening-day earnings of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”

Even with this caveat, The Wicked is expected to have a $117 million opening weekend, making it one of the biggest films of 2024. The movie's strong start shows that it will appeal to both musical and epic movie fans.

With a $150 million budget, The Wicked has become the biggest movie of the season. It has strong audience ratings, premium-format showings, and has been praised by critics for how grand it looks. The movie's earnings, comparisons, plot, and cast are all broken down below.

---

Opening day earnings: A strong start for The Wicked

Universal Pictures’ marketing efforts and the enduring popularity of the Broadway musical played a significant role in drawing audiences. The PG-rated movie appeals to families, musical lovers, and fans of fantasy films, ensuring strong weekend and long-term box office performance.

---

Comparison with other movies

With its record of huge earnings in the opening weekend, this movie seems to be 2024’s third-biggest opening after Deadpool & Wolverine ($211 million) and “Inside Out 2” ($151 million). While some argue that the early preview earnings slightly skew the figures, the film’s performance remains remarkable. By comparison, Gladiator II, which also premiered this weekend, is expected to reach $60 million—a solid figure but far behind The Wicked.

When measured against historical adaptations of Broadway musicals, The Wicked surpasses many predecessors in terms of first-day earnings, signaling its broad appeal and franchise potential.

For instance, Universal’s strategy to split the adaptation into two films mirrors the studio's success with other multi-part adaptations like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

---

Plot: The origins of Elphaba and Glinda

The story of the movie goes into great detail about Elphaba's origin, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, and how she became friends with Glinda, who later becomes the Good Witch.

At Shiz University, where the story takes place, Elphaba is made fun of for having green skin and learns she has magical powers. Together with her friend Glinda, she finds out scary things about the Wizard of Oz's government. In the end, she chooses a way to fight back that gets her labeled as "wicked."

The story is very similar to the first act of the musical, and it combines character growth with complex storytelling. It talks about friendship, prejudice, and shows that it is not so easy to find the difference between good and evil. It sets the stage for The Wicked Part Two, which is set to come out in 2025.

---

The cast of the movie

• Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp
• Ariana Grande-Butera as Galinda Upland (Glinda)
• Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar
• Michelle Yeoh plays Madame Morrible
• Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz
• Ethan Slater as Boq Woodsman
• Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp
• Peter Dinklage plays Dr. Dillamond

Supporting roles:

• Bowen Yang as Pfannee
• Bronwyn James as ShenShen
• Keala Settle as Miss Coddle
• Aaron Teoh as Avaric – Fiyero’s friend.
• Andy Nyman as Frexspar Thropp – Elphaba and Nessarose’s father.
• Sharon D. Clarke as Dulcibear
• Robin Guiver as Chistery

Crew:

• Director: Jon M. Chu: Renowned for his work in Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights.
• Marc Platt – Original producer of the Broadway musical.
• Universal Pictures – Major studio behind the film.

---

The Wicked Part 2 is already under production and coming up in November 2025.