In Just 1 Day, ‘Wicked: For Good’ Has Overtaken the Worst Musical Ever Made at the Box Office

In Just 1 Day, ‘Wicked: For Good’ Has Overtaken the Worst Musical Ever Made at the Box Office Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) on the Yellow Brick Road at the beginning of 'Wicked: For Good'Image via Universal Pictures By  Rahul Malhotra Published 21 minutes ago Rahul Malhotra is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has been writing for Collider for over two years, and has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal to introduce audiences to a whole new world of cinema. 

Swing and a miss > measured victory. Also, #JusticeForHan. (He/Him). Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Shattering box office projections, Universal's Wicked: For Good is gearing up to deliver one of the biggest opening weekend hauls of the year. The hotly awaited sequel is certainly performing way better than its predecessor, which itself set records for Broadway musical adaptations last year. The first Wicked ended its theatrical run with $475 million domestically and around $760 million worldwide, earning 10 Oscar nods once all was said and done. Directed by Jon M. Chu, Wicked debuted with $46 million on opening day and $112 million in its first weekend. Wicked: For Good is also directed by Chu, and is currently projected to deliver a $150 million opening weekend haul after grossing a huge $68 million on Friday; this includes the $30 million the movie made in Thursday previews, which itself was an improvement over the first film's $19 million preview haul.

What this means is that the musical adaptation, based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel and the Broadway show that it inspired, is all set to break several box office records this weekend. This is the biggest opening weekend haul for a Broadway adaptation ahead of the first Wicked, the second-biggest opening weekend haul of the year behind Lilo & Stitch ($162 million), the second-biggest in the history of Universal behind Jurassic World ($208 million), and the third-biggest for a movie musical behind The Lion King remake ($191 million) and the Beauty and the Beast remake ($174 million).

In one day, Wicked: For Good has beaten the lifetime global hauls of musical duds such as Steven Spielberg's West Side Story ($74 million), the recent re-imagining of The Color Purple ($69 million), and the infamous Cats ($75 million). Released in 2019 amid a barrage of negative buzz, Cats opened to toxic reviews — it holds a 19% score on Rotten Tomatoes — and failed to recover its reported $100 million budget. It was later reported that director Tom Hooper created a toxic environment for visual effects artists, whose work became the butt of all jokes following the film's release and failure.

Audience Reception for 'Wicked 2' Has Been Ecstatic

Produced on a reported budget of $150 million, Wicked: For Good brings back Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in their Oscar-nominated roles, and has opened to solid reviews, with Collider's Therese Lacson writing that it sets a new standard for adaptations that will serve as a high bar for any future filmmakers to clear." The movie is currently sitting at a 70% on RT, which is lower than the first film's "certified fresh" 88% score. But the film's audience score, 96%, suggests that it has a bright future ahead of it. Also starring Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum, the movie is playing in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Wicked: For Good

Like Follow Followed PG Drama Fantasy Romance Release Date November 21, 2025 Runtime 137 Minutes Director Jon M. Chu Writers Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire Producers Marc Platt, David Stone 11 Images Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) with a thoughtful frown in Wicked: For GoodGlinda (Ariana Grande) smiling in Wicked: For GoodGlinda (Ariana Grande) putting on her crown in Wicked: For GoodFiyero (Jonathan Bailey) playing in a marching band in Wicked: For GoodGlinda (Ariana Grande) walking down the aisle surrounded by yellow butterflies in Wicked: For GoodFiyero (Jonathan Bailey) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) staring into each other’s eyes up close in Wicked: For GoodElphaba (Cynthia Erivo) flying on her broom in Wicked: For GoodWicked For Good Teaser ThumbnailGlinda (Ariana Grande) clutching a book to her chest in Wicked: For GoodGlinda (Ariana Grande) floating inside a shimmering bubble in Wicked: For GoodGlinda (Ariana Grande) looking thoughtful in Wicked: For GoodClose

Cast

See All

• Cynthia Erivo Elphaba
• Ariana Grande Glinda

Wicked: For Good concludes the two-part film adaptation of the acclaimed Broadway musical.

Genres Drama, Fantasy, Romance Powered by Expand Collapse

• Movie News
• Wicked: For Good
• Wicked

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