‘Wicked: For Good’ casts massive spell on box office

“Something wicked this way” came and conquered the US box office over the weekend. Wicked: For Good became the second-biggest debut of the year, earning $150 million, behind A Minecraft Movie.

The movie is Universal Pictures’ best opening in a decade and also set a new record for Broadway musical adaptations, beating its prequel, 2024’s Wicked, which debuted at $112.5 million.

The sequel brings back Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as witches Glinda and Elphaba, once again directed by Jon M. Chu.

Bloomberg notes its success arrives after a severe theatrical slump, including the worst Halloween weekend in 31 years.

Before this release, no movie had crossed $100 million domestically since July, and the North American box office was up only 3.1% for the year.

Analysts expect the PG-rated movie to carry momentum through the holidays alongside upcoming family-friendly releases like Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash.