The magic of Oz continues to dominate the box office as Wicked: For Good soared to a historic $150 million opening weekend in North America, delivering the biggest debut ever for a Broadway musical adaptation. Playing in 4,115 theatres, the second chapter of Elphaba and Glinda’s saga didn’t just outperform expectations — it crushed the previous benchmark set by 2024’s Wicked, which opened to $112.5 million in the same pre-Thanksgiving corridor.
Globally, the film added another $76 million, taking its first-frame worldwide total to $226 million — the strongest global opening ever for a stage musical adaptation. Notably, the sequel improved upon international numbers where the first film had under-indexed, signalling a broader global embrace of the franchise.
Industry analysts are calling it the blockbuster the market desperately needed. David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research notes that this surge of footfalls is poised to carry theatres comfortably through the Thanksgiving corridor and deep into December. The film’s CinemaScore A grade, identical to the first installment, reflects strong audience satisfaction, with women comprising 71% of opening-weekend turnout.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, Wicked: For Good picks up as Elphaba faces the growing hostility of Oz’s ruling powers while Glinda embraces her newfound public image. Its darker emotional terrain compared to the first film hasn’t dimmed interest — the musical’s enduring goodwill and soundtrack nostalgia continue to power repeat viewings.
The broader domestic marketplace, which has struggled for momentum through the fall, finally sees a meaningful upswing. Paul Dergarabedian of Comscore calls the film’s overperformance a “much-needed momentum boost,” one that sets up the final weeks of 2025 for a stronger finish — though the year is still expected to close only about 3% ahead of 2024 and below pre-pandemic norms.Outside the Ozian storm, the rest of the chart saw more modest holdovers and new entries:
Outside the Ozian storm, the rest of the chart saw more modest holdovers and new entries:
2. Now You See Me: Now You Don’t – The magician-heist sequel dropped 57% to $9.12 million, bringing its two-week domestic total to $36.82 million.
3. Predator: Badlands – The sci-fi actioner added $6.25 million, down 51%, and climbed to $76.28 million in three weekends.
4. The Running Man – With a steeper 65% fall, it earned $5.8 million, pushing its total to $27.04 million.
5. Rental Family (New Release) – Searchlight’s debutant drama opened to $3.3 million from 1,925 theatres.
6. SISU: Road to Revenge (New Release) – Sony’s gritty action entry launched with $2.6 million.
7. Regretting You – The romance drama added $1.52 million (-59%), now at $47.25 million after five weeks.
8. Nuremberg – The historical drama posted $1.14 million, holding moderately as it rose to $10.92 million.
9. Black Phone 2 – The horror sequel collected $1 million, taking its strong domestic run to $76.38 million.
10. Sarah’s Oil – Amazon MGM’s thriller earned $771K, reaching $10.35 million in its third week.
Outside the Top 10, Sentimental Value and the anime feature Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc continued limited-but-steady runs, with the former jumping 67% after adding 123 theatres.
With Wicked: For Good injecting major momentum, the final stretch of 2025 is now positioned for a healthier finish thanks to two upcoming heavyweights:
Disney’s Zootopia 2 Expected to draw both families and nostalgia audiences, industry projections suggest the animated sequel could open strong during the December window, providing theatres with consistent holiday-season foot traffic.
James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash
As the year’s final tentpole, it is widely expected to deliver a massive global surge. Cameron’s franchise has historically shown extraordinary legs, suggesting Fire and Ash could extend box office activity deep into January.
Despite the boost expected from these arrivals, overall domestic grosses for 2025 are projected to finish only 3% ahead of 2024. It’s a modest rebound — especially considering 2024 totals were still nearly 24% behind pre-pandemic levels — but the holiday corridor is now primed for a stronger-than-anticipated close.
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