There was no place quite like the movie theater for fans of Wicked this weekend.
Universal’s “Wicked: For Good” stormed into the domestic box office with an impressive $150 million opening, and $226 million worldwide, handily surpassing the franchise’s 2024 predecessor. Last year’s Wicked opened over the same pre-Thanksgiving frame with a solid, but noticeably smaller, $114 million debut.
“It’s never a guarantee that a second installment will outperform an original, especially on opening weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “The first film, and now this movie, have created a cultural phenomenon. This was not an overnight success.”
The sequel, inspired by L. Frank Baum’s 1900 classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, now holds the title of second-highest domestic opener of the year, trailing only Warner Bros.’ “A Minecraft Movie” ($162.75 million) and edging past Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” ($146 million). Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of CNN.
Industry analyst David A. Gross of FranchiseRe notes the film also set a new record for a fantasy-adventure sequel, a category that averages just $46 million on opening weekends. Shawn Robbins, head of Fandango’s analytics division and founder of Box Office Theory, called the performance “a triumph,” adding, “Not long ago, musicals were struggling to find their footing at theaters.”
Other Openers Trail Behind
Two new releases entered the market but didn’t share the same spark:
Searchlight Pictures’ “Rental Family” — $3.3M (No. 5)
Sony’s “Sisu: Road to Revenge” — $2.6M (No. 6)
Both films were overshadowed by “Gladiator II,” which held strong after a $55.5 million debut last week alongside Wicked.
Meanwhile, previous holdovers rounded out the top spots:
Rank | Film | Weekend Gross
No. 2 | Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (Lionsgate) | $9.1M
No. 3 | Predator: Badlands (Disney) | $6.25M
No. 4 | The Running Man (Paramount) | $5.8M
A Strong Signal for a Rebounding Box Office
Hollywood is finally catching its breath after a sluggish October. The overall domestic box office is now 3.3% ahead of 2024 levels, reaching roughly $7.5 billion through November 23, according to Comscore. Analysts believe the industry is on pace to hit or pass $9 billion by year’s end, something last achieved in 2023 — the first post-pandemic rebound year.
Holiday Releases Could Boost Earnings Further
The Thanksgiving frame is expected to deliver a double punch at theaters. Disney’s “Zootopia 2” is poised to draw family audiences and may mirror last year’s animated hit “Moana 2,” which grossed more than $460 million domestically. Box Office Pro’s Daniel Loria says the upcoming slate could complement Wicked: For Good rather than compete with it.
“This is really a one-two punch in terms of earning potential for the whole opening weekend picture,” Loria said.
Disney is also primed for a strong Christmas lead-in with “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” Other December releases expected to pull in $30M-plus openings, according to Loria, include:
“The SpongeBob Movie: The Search for SquarePants” (Paramount)
“Anaconda” (Sony)
“The Housemaid” (Lionsgate)
“David” (Angel Studios)