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Universal's Wicked has emerged as something of a box office phenomenon. The movie has been breaking records ever since its hotly anticipated release earlier in November, when it clashed with Ridley Scott's Gladiator II. Not only did it comfortably win the duel, Wicked has since generated over twice as much at the domestic box office than the swords-and-sandals epic. With over $300 million domestically, the film is now among the highest-grossing musicals of all time. And because it's only a couple of weeks into its theatrical run, this means that it has a strong chance of becoming the highest-grossing movie musical ever made.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, Wicked has made $330 million at the domestic box office so far. This puts it at the number four spot on the list of the highest-grossing musicals of all time, behind Frozen ($400 million), Frozen II ($477 million), and Disney's live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast ($504 million). Wicked has been projected to crack the $500 million mark domestically by the end of its run, which should put it in close competition with Beauty and the Beast in a few weeks. What this also means is that Wicked is currently the second-highest grossing live-action movie musical of all time, having overtaken the likes of The Little Mermaid ($298 million), Wonka ($218 million), Grease ($188 million) and The Greatest Showman ($174 million).
On the all-time worldwide chart, with a running haul of $465 million, Wicked recently broke into the top 10. The movie currently trails La La Land ($506 million), The Little Mermaid remake ($569 million), Mamma Mia! ($584 million) and Wonka ($628 million). Three movie musicals have cracked the $1 billion mark globally, which seems like a difficult task for Wicked. While the film has performed remarkably stateside, it has struggled in overseas markets. This could be attributed to the source Broadway play's lack of popularity outside North America, or it could be because of the film's absence of movie stars. Wicked features Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the lead roles.
'Wicked: Part 2' Is Already Dated for November 2025
Produced on a reported budget of $150 million, the film is based on the Broadway musical of the same name, which was based on Gregory Maguire's novel, which itself was inspired by L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz books. It's director Chu's second musical in a row, after the well-received but commercially disappointing In the Heights. He's returning as the director of Wicked: Part 2, which has already been set for a November 2025 release. You can watch Wicked in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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Wicked
The story of how a green-skinned woman framed by the Wizard of Oz becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. The first of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical.
English (US) ·