Wicked is one of the most anticipated films to hit the theaters this fall, and judging by its box office numbers – it was worth the hype. This musical defied gravity with a $162.5 million opening, becoming a Broadway adaptation with the largest domestic and worldwide opening.
After just a few days in theaters, Wicked managed to gross a historic $112.5 million domestic opening, the largest for a film based on a Broadway musical since Into the Woods ($31 million). It also broke the record for the biggest opening for a Broadway adaptation worldwide, previously held by Les Miserables ($103 million), after grossing $162.5 million worldwide.
Set in the same universe as The Wizard of Oz, Wicked chronicles the origin story of Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. It’s set during their time at Shiz University, where Elphaba Thropp struggled to find her footing because of her unusual green skin until finding an unlikely friend in the popular student Galinda Upland.
In addition to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the lead roles, the star-studded cast of this musical also includes Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. Its second part is already on the way, and it will hit the theaters exactly a year later—on November 21, 2025.