The Witches of Oz are making magic at the box office.
Universal’s Thanksgiving tentpole Wicked: For Good opened to a record-smashing $147 million in North America from 4,115 theaters, according to Monday actuals (that was down from Sunday’s estimate of $150 million). Audiences are more than embracing the pic, giving it an A Cinemascore and a glowing 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It earned rave exit numbers on Comscore; kids in particular were enthralled. Overseas, it likewise opened to a record-busting $76 million from 78 markets for a global start of $223 million.
Wicked: For Good is the second title in filmmaker Jon M. Chu‘s ambitious big-screen adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical and book about the untold story of the witches of Oz. Ariana Grande stars as Glinda the Good Witch and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. The cast also includes Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh.
The female-fueled movie shattered numerous opening records everywhere. Domestically, it boasts the biggest start ever for a Broadway musical adaptation after besting last year’s Wicked ($112.5 million) and the third-biggest of all time among any musical behind 2019’s The Lion King and 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, not adjusted for inflation. It is also the third-biggest North American opening ever for a Universal title behind Jurassic World ($208.8 million) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ($148 million); the second-best for the weekend before Thanksgiving behind The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($158.1 million); and the second-best three-day launch of 2025 to date behind A Minecraft Movie ($208.9 million). Lilo & Stitch, opening over Memorial Day, collected $147 million for the three-day weekend and $182.6 million for the four-day holiday frame.
Chu’s film likewise passed up Wicked overseas to rank as the top launch ever for a Broadway adaptation. It is also the fifth-biggest opening of all time for any musical behind The Lion King (2019), Moana 2, Frozen 2 and Beauty and the Beast. Lastly, it passed up Superman to become the fourth-biggest, three-day opening of the year to date behind Jurassic World Rebirth, Minecraft and Lilo & Stitch.
Overseas, the U.K. led with a record-busting $24.4 million, which is the best-ever November opening, the biggest start for a Broadway adaptation and the best opening of the year to date, not adjusted for inflation.
Other records: Imax ponied up $21.1 million of the bottom line, including $15.5 million domestically to rank as the biggest start ever for a November family friendly title.
Wicked: For Good is a needed jolt for the struggling North American box office in particular, which has suffered the worst fall in decades due to a glut of male-skewing pics and a lack of product for females and families. The movie’s better-than-expected performance more than proves the buying power of girls and women; nearly 70 percent of audience were females.
On the same weekend a year ago, the first Wicked likewise made history in its debut on its way to grossing nearly $750 million globally, a record showing for a Broadway musical adaptation. Such adaptations have been a tough genre for Hollywood to crack, but NBCUniversal entertainment chief and longtime movie studio head Donna Langley has remained intent on doing just that, even after Cats bombed. She’s succeeded.
Elsewhere, Searchlight opened the Brendon Fraser-led specialty dramedy Rental Family nationwide in 1,925 theaters. The critical and audience darling grossed an estimated $3.3 million to place fifth and become the latest adult drama to struggle, but Searchlight is hopeful it will have staying power over the lucrative Thanksgiving corridor. The holiday feast will became even more crowded on Wednesday when Zootopia yaps its way into cinemas.
Among holdovers, Lionsgate’s Now You See Me: Now You Don’t held in nicely its sophomore outing. The pic came in second with an estimated $9.1 million from 3,403 locations for a domestic total of $36.8 million and $146.2 million globally.
Disney and 20th Century’s Predator: Badlands rebounded to come in third with $6.3 million from 3,100 locations for a three-week domestic total of $76.3 million. Overseas, it added another $7.6 million for a foreign tally of $83.3 million and franchise best-cume of $159.6 million, not adjusted for inflation.
Paramount’s troubled The Running Man tumbled 65 percent in its second outing to $5.8 million from 3,534 theaters for a 10-day domestic total of $27 million and fourth-place finish. The Edgar Wright-directed pic, starring Glen Powell, earned $7.1 million overseas for a foreign tally of $21.3 million and $48.3 million globally.
Nov. 24, 1:30 p.m. Updated with final numbers for Wicked: For Good.
This story was originally published on Nov. 22 at 8:00 a.m.
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