<\/p>\n
There was no place like the movie theater for fans of \u201cWicked\u201d this weekend.<\/p>\n
Universal\u2019s \u201cWicked: For Good\u201d soared to No. 1 at the weekend box office, earning $150 million domestically and $226 million worldwide \u2014 far outpacing its predecessor, \u201cWicked,\u201d which opened to $114 million domestically during last year\u2019s pre-Thanksgiving weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s never a guarantee that a second installment will outperform an original, especially on the opening weekend,\u201d said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore. \u201cThe first film, and now this movie \u2026 created a cultural phenomenon. This was not an overnight success.\u201d<\/p>\n
The musical fantasy film, which is a retelling inspired by the 1900 children\u2019s novel \u201cThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz,\u201d became the second-highest domestic opener of the year, behind Warner Bros. Pictures\u2019 live-action \u201cA Minecraft Movie\u201d ($162.75 million) and ahead of Disney\u2019s \u201cLilo & Stitch\u201d ($146 million). Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of celebrity.land.<\/p>\n
\u201cWicked: For Good\u201d also broke a record for a fantasy-adventure sequel opening, according to David A. Gross, who publishes industry newsletter FranchiseRe. Such movies average an opening of $46 million, according to Gross.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that \u2018Wicked\u2019 is up there in the conversation is a triumph \u2026 it\u2019s not very long ago when a lot of musicals were not performing well at the box office,\u201d said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of analytics firm Box Office Theory.<\/p>\n
Also opening this weekend was Searchlight Pictures\u2019 \u201cRental Family\u201d ($3.3 million), which was No. 5 overall, and Sony Pictures\u2019 \u201cSisu: Road to Revenge\u201d ($2.6 million), which was No. 6. The two films failed to share the same success of \u201cGladiator II,\u201d which had a domestic opening weekend box office of $55.5 million when it opened alongside \u201cWicked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last weekend\u2019s competitors, Lionsgate Films\u2019 \u201cNow You See Me: Now You Don\u2019t\u201d ($9.1 million), Disney\u2019s \u201cPredator: Badlands\u201d ($6.25 million) and Paramount Pictures\u2019 \u201cThe Running Man\u201d ($5.8 million) finished No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a good sign for Hollywood, which is coming off a historically slow October. The overall box office is now 3.3% ahead of last year\u2019s earnings from January 1 to November 23, according to Comscore data. The domestic box office has grossed roughly $7.5 billion this year, according to Comscore.<\/p>\n
Dergarabedian noted that the box office could hit or exceed the $9 billion mark when the year ends. That milestone was previously reached in 2023<\/a>, the first post-pandemic year to do so.<\/p>\n More of a boost can come on Thanksgiving weekend with Disney\u2019s \u201cZootopia 2,\u201d which hopes to see similar success from last year\u2019s \u201cMoana 2,\u201d an animated film that grossed over $460 million at the domestic box office.<\/p>\n \u201cZootopia 2\u201d and \u201cWicked: For Good\u201d could complement one another at movie theaters, says Daniel Loria, editorial director at Box Office Pro.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is really a one-two punch in terms of earning potential for the whole opening weekend picture,\u201d Loria said.<\/p>\n Disney is also expected to dominate the pre-Christmas weekend with \u201cAvatar: Fire and Ash.\u201d<\/p>\n And there is a broad set of movies opening before and during Christmas that could earn as much as $30 million, says Loria. The slate includes Paramount Pictures\u2019 \u201cThe SpongeBob Movie: The Search for SquarePants,\u201d Sony\u2019s \u201cAnaconda,\u201d Lionsgate\u2019s \u201cThe Housemaid\u201d and Angel Studios\u2019 \u201cDavid.\u201d<\/p>\n