Wicked, the film adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical, is set to break box office records in both North America and the UK and Ireland. The movie is projected to gross $114 million in its opening weekend in North America, making it the most successful Broadway musical adaptation to date.
In North America, the film had a strong opening, earning $46.48 million on Friday (including Thursday previews) and $36 million on Saturday. The audience demographics are particularly noteworthy, with 72% being female and 67% over the age of 25 – a significant win for Universal Studios. This performance places Wicked as the third-biggest opening in the US this year, following Deadpool & Wolverine ($211 million) and Inside Out 2 ($154 million).
The film’s soundtrack, featuring performances by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, has also gained popularity, with songs like “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” topping streaming service playlists. The musical, which has been running on Broadway and the West End for two decades, tells the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Competing in the same weekend, Gladiator II – a sequel to Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic – opened with $22 million on Friday and $18.8 million on Saturday. The film is projected to make $55.5 million in its opening weekend. Industry expert Daniel Loria from Boxoffice suggests that Moana 2, releasing on Wednesday in the US, could potentially take the top spot among these films.
The weekend’s performance is particularly significant for the cinema industry, which is recovering from pandemic-related disruptions. The National Association of Theatre Owners celebrated it as “one of the most successful November weekends ever at the box office.”
In the UK and Ireland, Wicked is forecast to earn $17.6 million, making it the top-grossing opening weekend of 2024 for Universal. This is the studio’s biggest opening since the James Bond film No Time to Die in 2021. Gladiator II, which opened on November 15th in the region, made $11.4 million in its first weekend and dropped to $6 million in its second, which Loria describes as a “fairly strong performance.”
The UK box office is experiencing an exciting period, with Wicked, Gladiator II, and Paddington in Peru (which earned £9.7 million in its opening weekend) drawing significant audiences.
With continued strong performances expected over the Thanksgiving holiday week, Loria predicts the potential for “the highest-grossing Thanksgiving weekend on record in North America.”
The success of these films signals a robust recovery for the cinema industry, offering hope and excitement for movie theaters and film studios alike.
