'Wicked' Is Just Days Away from Passing a Splendiferous Global Box Office Milestone

Universal earned considerable flack last year after seemingly jumping the gun and releasing The Fall Guy on PVOD platforms mere days after its theatrical debut. A similar debate unfolded recently, when the studio chose to release the musical blockbuster Wicked on digital streaming platforms while it was still raking in millions at the box office. The studio appeared to justify its move by reporting that Wicked had generated around $70 million from online sales within a week. But despite PVOD eating into its theatrical revenue, the movie is set to pass a major global box office milestone in a few days.

This weekend, its eighth, Wicked generated an estimated $5 million domestically and another $5 million from overseas markets. The film's stateside haul now stands at $458 million, while its international total is hovering around the $240 million mark. Wicked's cumulative global haul now stands at $697 million, which means that it should be able to pass the $700 million milestone before next weekend. Only four other 2024 films have been able to pass the $700 million mark worldwide; the list includes Dune: Part 2 ($714 million), Despicable Me 4 ($969 million), Moana 2 ($989 million), Deadpool & Wolverine ($1.3 billion) and Inside Out 2 ($1.6 billion).

Directed by Jon M. Chu, Wicked is based on the hit Broadway musical of the same name, which was inspired by Gregory Maguire's novel, which, in turn, was based on Frank L. Baum's "Wizard of Oz" books. The brand remains popular across the world, although the movie hasn't worked quite as well as Universal would've liked in overseas markets. This could be attributed to the play's limited penetration internationally, or the lack of major movie stars in the cast. Wicked is led by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, and was produced on a reported budget of $150 million.

'Wicked' Is Among the Highest-Grossing Musicals of All Time

The movie opened to positive reviews, and appears to have settled at a "fresh" 88% approval rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. Wicked's audience score on RT stands at an even better 95%. The movie earned four nominations at the recently held Golden Globes, and is a favorite across several categories at the upcoming Oscars. A sequel, titled Wicked: For Good, will be released in November.

Wicked is available to watch in theaters and at home. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Buy Tickets