'Wicked: For Good' earns $30.8 million in early previews, highest preview total of 2025

Wicked: For Good has delivered the strongest preview performance of 2025, earning $30.8 million ahead of its official release.

Universal confirmed that the musical sequel’s early box office total is the highest pre-opening figure of the year. The result, however, reflects a rollout that extended beyond traditional Thursday-only previews.

The studio arranged multiple early screenings, beginning with Monday fan events sponsored by Amazon Prime, which brought in $6.1 million.

Additional Wednesday screenings added $6.5 million, while Thursday previews, which included double showings of Wicked and Wicked: For Good, contributed $18.2 million.

The previous 2025 preview record belonged to Warner Bros.’ Superman, which earned $22.5 million from Thursday screenings before delivering a $125 million opening weekend.

Wicked: For Good is positioned to challenge several box office benchmarks across its debut. Industry projections indicate a potential opening between $150 million and $180 million, putting it in contention for the biggest launch of the year.

That title is currently held by Universal’s A Minecraft Movie, which generated $10.6 million in Thursday previews and opened to $162 million. Despite those comparisons, Universal is maintaining a cautious forecast of $125 million for the weekend.

Anticipation remains elevated following the popularity of Ariana Grande’s Glinda and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, whose characters became widely referenced during last year’s release of the first film.

Director Jon M. Chu’s 2024 Wicked earned $19.2 million in previews and reached a $112.5 million opening weekend during the same pre-Thanksgiving period.

The new instalment continues the story with returning cast members including Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, and Bowen Yang.

Last year’s Wicked contributed to a record $420 million Thanksgiving box office alongside major releases such as Gladiator II and Moana 2.

This weekend also sees the release of Sony’s action sequel Sisu: Road to Revenge, projected to open with around $3 million, and Searchlight’s Rental Family, starring Brendan Fraser, which is expected to debut in the low single digits.