Wicked box office explained

As a musical enthusiast who’s been through the ups and downs of the genre since my first encounter with Les Misérables back in 1980, I can confidently say that Wicked has truly outdone itself at the box office! The numbers are simply mind-blowing, shattering records left and right. If you thought the witches of Oz could only cast spells, think again – they’ve managed to defy gravity not just on stage but also in theaters!

Following a highly successful media promotion and an abundance of favorable critiques, Wicked has officially arrived, and its initial ticket sales are already challenging the laws of physics.

2024 has been a challenging year for musical productions. The much-anticipated Joker 2 – DC’s Gotham villain’s pseudo musical – fell flat at the box office, earning just $206 million. On the other hand, Emilia Pérez, the musical take on crime and capers, was well-received on the festival circuit, but its Netflix release sparked mixed reactions from viewers.

This year, if any genre held promise, it was likely Jon M. Chu’s Wicked. The initial part of this two-part stage adaptation premiered in cinemas on November 22nd, bolstered by an extensive promotional effort and widespread buzz generated by interviews with the cast that went viral.

Intrigued about how the two witches from Oz are doing on stage? Let me fill you in on the box office success of Wicked up until now.

Before the end of the weekend, Wicked is predicted to make $120 million at the domestic box office.

On Thursdays, it earned approximately $11 million in ticket sales across 3,300 cinemas. To date, its earnings from these pre-release screenings have amounted to around $19.2 million.

The budget for Wicked was $150 million.

In contrast, it’s projected that the debut weekend for Gladiator 2 will rake in approximately $86 million within U.S. territories.

What records has it broken?

As a gaming enthusiast, if Wicked manages to rake in an impressive $120 million during its first weekend at the box office, it would not only set a new record as the biggest opening for a Broadway adaptation but also secure the fourth-largest debut ever for a movie musical.

Previously, the Broadway record for highest grossing show was held by Stephen Sondheim’s production of “Into the Woods,” which brought in a staggering $31 million back in 2014.

As a gamer, I can’t help but feel exhilarated at the prospect of contributing to the creation of a game that could potentially claim the third largest opening for a movie in 2024. Sandwiched neatly between the anticipated releases of Inside Out 2 and Beetlejuice, our project would certainly be a formidable contender!

Here are the highest-grossing movies of 2024 so far:

Deadpool & Wolverine: $211,435,291
Inside Out 2: $154,201,673
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: $111,003,345
Dune: Part Two: $82,505,391
Twisters: $81,251,415
Godzilla x Kong The New Empire: $80,006,561
Despicable Me 4: $75,009,210
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: $58,400,788
Kung Fu Panda: $57,989,905
Bad Boys Ride or Die: $56,527,324

Where does it rank among other movie musicals?

Should Wicked manage to collect $120 million at its opening, it would rank as the sixth-largest box office debut for a musical film in history.

It falls into a category similar to both the 2016 live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book and the 2023 remake of The Little Mermaid.

Here are the top 10 highest-grossing opening weekends for movie musicals:

Frozen 2: $358,503,293
Beauty and the Beast (2017): $357,026,593
The Lion King (2019): $245,953,703
Aladdin (2019): $214,700,000
The Little Mermaid (2023): $164,300,000
The Jungle Book (2016): $132,200,000
Frozen: $110,600,000
Rio: $94,164,414
High School Musical 3 Senior Year: $84,652,689
Baahubali 2 The Conclusion: $80,771,971

To learn about additional films released this month, take a look. Additionally, stay informed about the progress of Wicked Part 2, and discover the significant link between Fiyero and The Wizard of Oz that unfolds post-Wicked.

2024-11-23 19:21