How much did Wicked make opening weekend? Everything you need to know

Wicked, a Broadway musical adapted into a feature film for the big screen, was released on November 22, 2024. According to a report by Variety, the movie is performing well at the box office after raking in $114 million in ticket sales. It made an additional $50 million at international theaters across the globe, putting its total revenue on the opening weekend at an impressive $164 million.

This makes the film’s weekend earnings the third biggest opening so far in 2024, behind only Deadpool & Wolverine ($211.4 million) and Inside Out 2 ($154.2 million). Despite competing with the R-rated film Gladiator II at its opening weekend, the film is doing well. Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 amassed $55.5 million, coming in second to this musical adaptation.

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Wicked soars at the box office on opening day

In the recent past, Broadway musicals that were adapted into films didn’t always translate well at the box office. According to a report by Variety, Into the Woods, another musical made into a movie, raked in $31 million at the box office in its opening week, whereas Les Miserables made $103 million.

While it seems that Gladiator II is proving to be a tough competition, many moviegoers are planning to watch both films in theaters. The phenomenon is being termed Glicked and is similar to the Barbenheimer phenomenon of 2023. When Barbie and Oppenheimer were both released in the same week, audiences watched both films back-to-back rather than choosing one to watch.

Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba (Image via Universal Pictures)

Similarly, despite both movies catering to completely different demographics, fans are watching both rather than selecting one. Gladiator II is reportedly attracting more men as its audience, whereas Wicked is supposedly attracting more women fans. Moreover, with Moana 2 releasing on Thanksgiving weekend, this movie will receive tough competition.

Wicked is receiving a positive response at the box office regarding revenue generation and from fans and critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it received a 90% rating, and on Metacritic, a 73 out of 100 from critics.

One audience member of the film commented on Rotten Tomato,

"This was SOOOOOOO GOOD!!!! Cynthia and Ariana were ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!!!!! Probably gonna go see it again!"

Another user wrote:

"This was the absolute best film I have ever seen in my life. I thought the play was good. The movie blows the play away. If you see any movie, see this one."

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What is Wicked about?

Directed by Jon M. Chu, Wicked is part one of a two-part movie adaptation that tells the tale of Elphaba and Glinda’s complex relationship. The film serves as a prequel to the events that led to the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.

Elphaba is coined as The Wicked Witch, while Glinda is called The Good Witch by the residents of Oz. The story explores Elphaba and Glinda’s time at Shiz University. It also highlights their time with The Wizard. The plot begins with the Witch’s reported demise. It was previously a Broadway musical created in 2003 and performs well on stage to this day.

The musical film stars Ariana Grande as Glinda, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, and Michelle Yeoh as Shiz University’s headmistress, Madame Morrible. Ethan Slater and Peter Dinklage star as Boq and the voice of Dr. Dillamond, respectively.

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Wicked part two is slated to release on November 21, 2025.