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‘Wicked’ Breaks Box Office Record for Musical Adaptation

Posted on by L. Dreeye
‘Wicked’ Breaks Box Office Record for Musical Adaptation

Cynthia Erivo as green-skinned Elphaba and Ariana Grande as pink-loving Glinda, looking off camera.

Wicked: Part One broke box office records. (Universal pictures)

Movie Evil: Part One set a new box office record for the opening of the Broadway adaptation.

The musical about the unlikely friendship of two witches opened on Friday (November 22) and grossed more than $164m (£130m) worldwide, making it the biggest opening ever for a musical adaptation.

The previous record belonged to Les Miserableswhich earned $103 million (approximately £66 million at the time) in 2012.

Wicked earned $114 million (£90.6 million) in North America from 3,888 screens over the weekend, plus $50.2 million (£39.7 million) at the international box office.

In UK and Ireland Wicked earned around $17 million (£13.5 million), making it the highest-grossing opening weekend of the year to date.

The US domestic record was set by 2014. Into the forest with $31 million (approximately £19 million at the time).

The film became the third-biggest domestic debut of 2024 after Deadpool and Wolverine ($211 million/£168 million) and Inside Out 2 ($154 million/£122.5 million).

The first of a two-part film adaptation directed by Jon M. Chu, starring musical star Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba (later known as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz) and Ariana Grande as Glinda (the Good Witch of the North).

The film’s soundtrack also rose to the top of streaming services’ lists over the weekend.

The film also stars Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Bowen Yang and Jeff Goldblum.

Fans took to X and other social media to celebrate the film’s success, tweeting: “Oh girls and gays won so much this weekend!!!!”

Retelling Oz The story has barely made headlines in recent weeks due to Erivo’s reaction to a fan-made poster, Mattel’s Barbie doll porn gaffes and Grande’s relationship with co-star Ethan Slater, who plays the munchkin Bok.

Many viewers noted the film’s sapphic undertones, including the performances of Elphaba and Glinda.

Speaking to Gay Times, Grande said: “Whether it’s romantic or platonic, Glinda can be a little standoffish. You never know, give it some time. I mean this is true love that goes beyond sexuality. It’s a kind of deep security within each other. That’s why they’re probably sending it.”

Erivo agreed: “I think Elfie… she goes where the wind blows. I think she loves Glinda, I think she loves love.

“And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating the deep connection between both of them.”

Meanwhile Ridley Scott Gladiator II, The film, starring Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal, has earned around $200m (£159m) since its release on November 15. The two films opening together were titled “Glicked” and were compared to Barbie and Oppenheimer’s clash earlier in the year, “Barbenheimer.”

Wicked is in theaters now, and the second part will be released this time next year.

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