Los Angeles, CA – The magic of Oz is back and better than before! “Wicked: For Good” just flew into theaters and smashed box office records. This fun sequel to last year’s hit musical pulled in $151.5 million in its first weekend in North America. That’s the biggest opening ever for a movie based on a Broadway show.
Fans rushed to see the next chapter of the story about friends Elphaba and Glinda. Directed by Jon M. Chu, it stars Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. The movie hit screens from November 21 to 23, 2025, right before Thanksgiving. Early showings from Monday to Thursday added another $30.8 million – a new high for 2025 previews.
This beats the first “Wicked” movie from 2024, which made $112.5 million in its opening. Now, the whole series has earned over $758 million worldwide. Universal Pictures spent $320 million to make and promote both films, but they already turned a cool $230 million profit.
Why so huge? People love it. The crowd gave it an “A” CinemaScore, and 83% would tell friends to go. On Rotten Tomatoes, viewers score it 97% – up from 95% for the first one. Most watchers are women (70%), under 35 (61%), and from all backgrounds. Groups came out more too – 46% bought tickets together, compared to 40% last time.
The film took 80% of all weekend ticket sales in the US and Canada. It tops other 2025 releases like “Lilo & Stitch.” Worldwide, it grabbed $188.2 million so far. And 40% of sales came from fancy screens like IMAX and 3D.
Experts say this could help fix a slow year for movies. The box office dropped 2.2% overall, but hits like this keep things going. Social media buzz helped a lot – Ariana Grande’s posts got 570 million views on Instagram alone. TikTok and others spread the word fast.
With holidays coming, “Wicked: For Good” should stick around theaters for weeks. It’s the second-best pre-Thanksgiving opener, right after “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” from 2013. For musical fans, it’s now number three all-time, behind “The Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
If you haven’t seen it, grab tickets soon. This sequel proves fairy tales still sell – big time!