Total, Worldwide, Domestic, Opening & Records

The Wicked box office was huge as the movie reintroduced the world of Oz to audiences and became a major hit. The Wicked movie is based on the critically acclaimed Broadway musical of the same name, as well as the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. The story of Wicked follows the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, who later becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda, who will become Glinda the Good Witch.

In Wicked, Elphaba and Glinda are portrayed by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera. In addition to Erivo and Grande-Butera, the cast of Wicked includes Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. Reviews for Wicked were very positive upon its release. The film holds a critics score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and an impressive audience score of 95% (via Rotten Tomatoes). Along with its positive critical reception, Wicked also performed very well at the box office.

Wicked’s Total Box Office

Wicked Is A Major Box Office Hit

Wicked finished its run with a total of $738,847,120 at the worldwide box office (via Box Office Mojo). The number confirms that Wicked has been an extremely profitable movie for Universal. A recent report revealed that the combined budget of both Wicked movies set a record as the most money Universal has ever invested up-front in a movie project. Reportedly, the budget for the first Wicked film was between $145-150 million. Therefore, Wicked easily surpassed its budget, making over $473 million domestically.

Wicked‘s box office haul is very impressive for the film, especially because some recent musicals have not seen such success with theatrical releases. Musical movies such as Cats and Dear Evan Hansen struggled to find an audience, but Wicked’s success proves that fans have been eager to return to the setting of Oz. The Wicked play has also been beloved for years worldwide, and now the cinematic version of the story is experiencing the same kind of acclaim.

Wicked’s Opening Weekend Box Office

Wicked Had One Of The Highest Opening Weekend Box Office Hauls Of 2024

Wicked broke several records with its massive opening weekend, earning just under $164.2 million. During its first few days in movie theaters, Wicked made $114 million at the domestic box office and over $50 million at the international box office. With this release, Wicked became the highest-grossing global debut of a Broadway adaption, easily beating 2012’s Les Misérables. Les Misérables earned $103 million in its opening weekend, so Wicked made $60 million more than the iconic Broadway adaptation.

Wicked‘s opening weekend domestic box office haul was the fourth biggest of all time for a musical film, only being beaten by 2019’s The Lion King, 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, and 2019’s Frozen II. Wicked‘s international haul was the fifth-largest opening weekend for a musical film, only being bested by these same three films, along with 2019’s Aladdin. Compared to other 2024 films, Wicked had the fourth-biggest opening weekend of the year. The only three movies that surpassed Wicked‘s box office haul in their opening weekends for 2024 were Moana 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Inside Out 2.

How Wicked’s Box Office Compares To The Wizard Of Oz

The Wizard Of Oz Eventually Became A Box Office Success

The 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz was a flop when it was first released, making just $3 million on a budget of $2.7 million. However, The Wizard of Oz has made over $25 million for its lifetime gross. Adjusted for inflation, The Wizard of Oz has made close to $570 million at the worldwide box office. However, The Wizard of Oz made most of its money at the domestic box office, not even earning $1 million in international markets. Therefore, Wicked has an advantage over the 1939 film, as The Wizard of Oz is now known as a popular franchise worldwide.

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Every Wicked Character Not In The Wizard Of Oz (& Why)

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Given Wicked‘s domestic and international opening weekend earnings, the film easily surpassed The Wizard of Oz‘s earnings. The Wizard of Oz received critical acclaim upon its release, as well, and was nominated for Best Picture and several other Academy Awards. Following Wicked‘s commercial and critical success, it seemed like the film could have followed in The Wizard of Oz‘s footsteps into awards season, which would lead to more people seeing the movie in theaters, but it fell short there.

What Wicked’s Box Office Means For Wicked: For Good

Wicked: For Good Is Now Less Than A Year Away

Wicked and Wicked: For Good were shot back-to-back. Therefore, Wicked: For Good has a release date of November 21, 2025, just a year after the first film. This is good news for fans since they won’t have to wait long to see the continuation of Elphaba and Glinda’s story following the ending of Wicked. Based on the performance of the first Wicked movie, it is safe to say that Wicked: For Good will achieve a similar opening weekend, if not even bigger.

Over the next year, anticipation will only build for the Wicked sequel, rather than die out, so even more fans may flock to the theater to see Wicked: For Good. Beyond its success in theaters, Wicked will undoubtedly be popular on streaming services. Therefore, upon the release of Wicked: For Good, The Wizard of Oz franchise will likely be the most popular it’s ever been. If reviews for the second movie are as strong as they are for Wicked, it is guaranteed that the film will be another smash hit.

Wicked’s Box Office Records Explained

Wicked Has Continued To Break Box Office Records

Wicked’s opening weekend box office haul broke many records and cemented the film as one of the most successful musical movies of all time. However, Wicked’s success didn’t stop after its opening weekend. Right after New Year’s, Wicked passed the $450 million mark at the domestic box office, becoming the third 2024 movie to pass this milestone, alongside Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2.

Additionally, Wicked ended up as the highest-grossing stage musical adaptation of all time. In late December 2024, Wicked passed Mamma Mia!, which grossed a total of $611 million for the title. Furthermore, Wicked has made its way onto the list of top 50 highest-grossing films at the domestic box office.

Wicked Won A Golden Globe For Its Box Office Performance

Wicked Was Successful At The Golden Globes

Wicked also found success at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, which were held on January 5, 2025. At the Golden Globes, Wicked won the award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, beating out films such as Deadpool & Wolverine, Inside Out 2, Twisters, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. This award was first introduced at the 2024 ceremony and is meant to honor a high-earning movie that has garnered worldwide acclaim and support.

The Golden Globes are one of the first significant ceremonies of the awards season, so Wicked winning the award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement bodes well for the film. Wicked was nominated for three other Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Even though Wicked did not win any other awards, its success at the Golden Globes hinted at a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

That proved to be the case. When the Oscars rolled around, Wicked ​​​​​​picked up a nomination for Best Motion Picture of the Year. While director Jon M. Chu was not nominated, Ariana Grande (Best Supporting Actress) and Cynthia Ertivo (Best Actress) earned nominations. However, even with 10 Oscar nominations, it only won two (Production Design, Costume Design). It didn’t even earn a nomination for Best Song for “Defying Gravity.”

Where The Wicked Box Office Ranks Among Musicals Throughout History

Wicked Ranks Third Domestically & Sixth Worldwide

When looking at the box office takes of musicals throughout history, Wicked ranks third all-time domestically. Its $473.2 million was more than Moana 2 by $13 million but fell behind both Frozen II ($477.3 million) and the 2017 live-action version of Beauty and the Beast ($504 million). The fact that it came within $21 million of breaking the record is memorable. Wicked ranks ahead of movies like Frozen and the live-action The Little Mermaid and is far ahead of the next non-animated, non-Disney musical, The Great Showman​​​​​​, which ranks 16th at $174 million.

Musical Movies Worldwide Box Office Totals:

Looking at the worldwide totals, Wicked is a bit lower, sitting in sixth place. However, there is only one live-action musical ahead of it: the 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast, which made $1.2 billion at the box office and is ranked third. The top two movies worldwide are Frozen II ($1.45 billion) and Frozen ($1.27 billion). After Beauty and the Beast, there are two more animated films: Moana 2 ($1.05 billion) and Coco ($796 million). Wicked was $63 million behind Coco and just ahead of Mufasa: The Lion King.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Variety, Box Office Mojo

Movie

My Favorite Movies
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Wicked

9/10

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Runtime

160 Minutes

Director

Jon M. Chu

Writers

Gregory Maguire, Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, L. Frank Baum