‘Wicked’ dominates box office with $114M debut, beats records for Broadway adaptations

‘Wicked’ opens with $114M in North America, smashing records for Broadway-to-film adaptations and musicals.

Universal’s Wicked dazzled at the box office, debuting at No. 1 in North America with $114 million from 3,888 theaters over the weekend. Directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the film marks the biggest opening for a Broadway adaptation, surpassing Into the Woods ($31 million), and ranks fourth in musical history behind Frozen II ($130 million). Internationally, Wicked added $50.2 million, bringing its global tally to $164.2 million and setting a record for worldwide openings of Broadway-inspired films.

The success of Wicked, which features iconic Broadway tracks like “Defying Gravity,” reflects its enduring popularity, earning an “A” CinemaScore and 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, Paramount’s Gladiator II opened in second place with $55.5 million, backed by an all-star cast including Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington. The sequel has grossed $221 million globally despite mixed reviews.

This weekend also saw Amazon MGM’s Red One, starring Dwayne Johnson, drop to No. 3 with $13.3 million, while WWII historical thriller Bonhoeffer. Pastor. Spy. Assassin. opened with $5.1 million. With Moana 2 set to release on November 27, experts anticipate the Thanksgiving holiday will further boost the year’s box office performance, which currently trails 2023 by 10.5%.