"Wicked: For Good" defies gravity at box office, despite poor critical reception
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"Wicked: For Good" defied gravity over the weekend, setting a new record as the highest-opening stage musical adaptation at the global box office.
Why it matters: The film's stellar performance suggests moviegoers were eager to see the sequel despite bad reviews from critics, who panned the Broadway musical adaption for being "very, very bad" and a "letdown."
Zoom in: The Universal film earned $147 million at the domestic box office and $223 million worldwide, per Comscore figures.
- The film outperformed the opening weekend of the big-screen musical's first installment last year by $34.5 million domestically, $26 million abroad and $60.5 million overall worldwide.
- It had the second-best domestic opening of the year, behind "A Minecraft Movie," which debuted in April.
Yes, but: A better-than-expected performance won't be enough to save the box office from its continued post-pandemic challenges.
- While the domestic box office is pacing slightly ahead of 2024's totals at the same time last year, it still lags 2023 by 8.2%, and it's nowhere near the pre-pandemic records of 2018 and 2019.
What's next: A few year-end releases are expected to do well this holiday season.
- Disney's "Zootopia 2" hits theaters Thanksgiving week.
- Netflix's "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery," the latest installment from the "Knives Out" mystery franchise, will be released Thanksgiving week in theaters before heading to streaming in December.
- Disney's "Avatar: Fire and Ash" debuts Dec. 19.
Editor's note: The chart was corrected to fix the release years for "Wicked," "Mamma Mia!" and "In the Heights."
