Jon M. Chu’s Wicked is flying to No. 1 on the box office after earning $114 million USD from 3,888 North American theaters during its opening weekend.
Variety reports that Wicked broke the domestic record for the best opening for a Broadway-to-film adaptation, dethroning Into the Woods’ $31 million USD opening in 2014. It also marks the third-biggest domestic opening of 2024 following Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2, and is the fourth-biggest opener for a musical. Wicked earned an additional $50.2 million USD at the international box office to increase its global total to $164.2 million USD — making it the biggest global opening for a film adaptation of a Broadway musical and overtaking Les Miserables in 2012.
“It’s a juggernaut,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. “Audiences are making the singing and costume experience their own.”
Just below Chu’s Wicked is Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II sequel, which opened below projections with $55.5 million USD from 3,573 North American cinemas during the weekend. Internationally, however, the film has already grossed $221 million USD.
