Wickedhas passed a major box office milestone after less than a month in theaters. The movie, which was directed by Jon M. Chu, is adapted from the 2003Wizard of Ozprequel musical following the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), as well as her friend and rival Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera). TheWickedbox officestarted off with a bang, opening to $112.5 million at the domestic box office and quickly rising past $400 million worldwide, surpassingGreaseas the highest-grossing Broadway musical adaptation of all time.
PerDeadline,Wickedis set to pass the $350 million milestone at the domestic box officeby the end of its fourth weekend in theaters, with Saturday projections showing it reaching a grand total of $358.8 million, though the exact total could fluctuate by the end of Sunday. It is one of just four 2024 releases to have passed this domestic milestone, behind onlyDespicable Me 4($361 million),Deadpool & Wolverine($636.7 million), andInside Out 2($652.9 million).
What This Milestone Means For Wicked
It Could Climb Even Higher
BecauseDespicable Me 4has now outgrossed theWickedmovieby less than $3 million at the domestic box office, it is likely only a matter of days before the musical surpasses it on the chart to become the third highest-grossing movie of the year in North America. However,the next two highest-ranked movies are likely far out of the new release’s reachgiven its current trajectory. Below, see a breakdown of how the Top 3 movies at the 2024 domestic box office fared during their fourth weekends in theaters compared to their overall grosses:
$534.1 million
$652.9 million
$546.8 million
$636.7 million
$291.4 million
$361 million
~$358.8 million
TBD
TheWickedreleasecould very well hold its ground at No. 3 on the domestic chart. Through the end of the year, there are only two more major blockbusters, namelySonic the Hedgehog 3andMufasa, though the former succeeds a movie that only grossed $190.8 million domestically and the latter is a somewhat unknown quantity despite following a record-breaking smash. However,the musical faces major competition fromMoana 2, which premiered just a few days afterWickedwith an even stronger debut of $139.8 million, though it has yet to catch up at the domestic box office.
Our Take On The Wicked Box Office Milestone
The Movie Is Already A Major Hit
Regardless of its performance on the overall domestic chart,Wickedhas already proved itself to be a smash hit. Although the movie comes with a huge $150 million budget and a massive advertising spend, its break-even point was likely somewhere around $375 million. Given the fact thatit is approaching a half-billion at the worldwide box officeand is showing no signs of slowing down, it is likely already in the territory of pure profit, which also spells good news for the prospects ofWicked Part Twoin 2025.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
