‘Wicked: For Good’ Opens to $150 Million, Rekindling Box Office Magic

Universal’s “Wicked: For Good” cast a major spell over theaters this weekend, opening at No. 1 with an impressive $150 million domestic debut and $226 million worldwide. The sequel far exceeded the opening of last year’s “Wicked,” which took in $114 million during the same pre-Thanksgiving frame.

Industry analysts say outperforming an original film is never guaranteed, but the “Wicked” franchise has grown into a cultural phenomenon. Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of marketplace trends, said the film’s success shows how deeply audiences have connected with the story over time.

“Wicked: For Good” is now the second-highest domestic opener of the year, behind Warner Bros. Pictures’ “A Minecraft Movie” at $162.75 million and ahead of Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” at $146 million. The film also broke the record for the largest opening of a fantasy-adventure sequel, a category that typically averages $46 million, according to David A. Gross of FranchiseRe.

Shawn Robbins of Fandango noted that the movie’s performance is especially significant given that musicals struggled at the box office just a few years ago.

Two other films debuted this weekend: Searchlight Pictures’ “Rental Family,” which finished fifth with $3.3 million, and Sony Pictures’ “Sisu: Road to Revenge,” debuting at sixth with $2.6 million. Both fell short of the previous weekend’s heavy hitter “Gladiator II,” which opened with $55.5 million.

Holdovers continued solid runs, including “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” ($9.1 million), “Predator: Badlands” ($6.25 million), and “The Running Man” ($5.8 million), taking the second, third, and fourth spots respectively.

It’s all encouraging news for Hollywood, which rebounded from a slow October. Year-to-date box office revenue is now 3.3 percent ahead of 2024, totaling roughly $7.5 billion, according to Comscore. Analysts say crossing $9 billion by year’s end is increasingly likely, a milestone last reached in 2023.

Thanksgiving weekend brings another major opportunity with Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” expected to continue the strong streak following last year’s hit “Moana 2.” Daniel Loria of Box Office Pro says “Wicked: For Good” and “Zootopia 2” could deliver a powerful back-to-back boost for theaters.

Disney is also positioned for strong December momentum with “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” alongside a wide slate of family films expected to draw sizable holiday crowds. Those titles include “The SpongeBob Movie: The Search for SquarePants,” “Anaconda,” “The Housemaid,” and “David.”

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