“Wicked” had an impressive first weekend
Defying gravity, box-office estimates, and its higher-budget competition, “Wicked” has smashed its first few days.
A Broadway mainstay since it opened on the Great White Way over two decades ago, fans of the witch-based story seem just as keen to see Glinda and Elphaba grace the silver screen, as the movie opened to $114 million domestically and another $50 million worldwide.
After a much-discussed press tour with stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, and some efforts to promote the idea of “Glicked” — the movie dropped in the US on the same weekend as Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” — “Wicked” managed the biggest Broadway musical movie adaptation debut in history, per Variety.
Though the $55 million domestic start for “Gladiator II” wasn’t to be sniffed at, it paled in comparison to the musical’s haul. Indeed, “Wicked” will only need a few more strong showings in the run-up to Christmas to become one of the highest-grossing musicals of all time.
According figures from The Numbers, “Wicked” needs to break through the $217 million mark at the domestic office to become one of the top 10 highest-grossing movie musicals of all time.
Despite the recent trend of movie musicals somewhat masking their genre in the run-up to their release — the trailers for 2023’s “Wonka” and “The Color Purple,” as well as this year’s “Mean Girls” were all weirdly light on songs — tune-filled films can still win big at the box office, with “Beauty and the Beast” taking $606 million in 2017 and the “Frozen” films grossing over $1 billion between them (inflation-adjusted).
After a much-discussed press tour with stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, and some efforts to promote the idea of “Glicked” — the movie dropped in the US on the same weekend as Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” — “Wicked” managed the biggest Broadway musical movie adaptation debut in history, per Variety.
Though the $55 million domestic start for “Gladiator II” wasn’t to be sniffed at, it paled in comparison to the musical’s haul. Indeed, “Wicked” will only need a few more strong showings in the run-up to Christmas to become one of the highest-grossing musicals of all time.
According figures from The Numbers, “Wicked” needs to break through the $217 million mark at the domestic office to become one of the top 10 highest-grossing movie musicals of all time.
Despite the recent trend of movie musicals somewhat masking their genre in the run-up to their release — the trailers for 2023’s “Wonka” and “The Color Purple,” as well as this year’s “Mean Girls” were all weirdly light on songs — tune-filled films can still win big at the box office, with “Beauty and the Beast” taking $606 million in 2017 and the “Frozen” films grossing over $1 billion between them (inflation-adjusted).
