Wicked may be winding down its impressive run in theaters, but its latest box-office gross has earned the adaptation a coveted spot among Universal’s highest-performing movies. The 2024 musical brought the stage show based on the same name as Gregory Maguire’s work, which explores The Wizard of Oz‘s Wicked Witch of the West and her origins. Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a talented and magical green-skinned girl who meets Ariana Grande-Butera’s Galinda Upland at Shiz University, setting the two on a fateful journey. Since its release, the film has been performing exceptionally well at the box office, even holding strong after over a month in theaters.

Though Wicked has landed on home media and is slowly closing its theatrical run after two months, The Numbers has now placed Jon M. Chu’s musical adaptation within the top-three highest performing movies domestically for Universal. As the total domestic gross reached $459 million, the movie has overtaken Steven Spielberg’s 1982 tale of aliens and friendship, E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial, by an estimated $20 million. With Wicked as Universal’s third-best-performing domestic release, the musical currently trails behind 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which holds second place with $574.9 million, while 2015’s Jurᴀssic World holds first place with $653 million.

What Wicked’s Box-Office Milestone Mean For Wicked: For Good

The Sequel Is Already Filmed And Set For Release

While Wicked’s chances of a sequel were never in doubt, thanks to the two features being filmed back-to-back, the movie’s performance has set up a positive atmosphere for the follow-up. Despite being based upon a beloved stage musical, the feature received plenty of skepticism ahead of release, from casting questions, the mixing of several tracks, and the decision to split the movie into two parts.

However, with audiences having ensured that the adaptation is a worthy hit, any fears about Chu’s handling of the Wicked adaptation have largely been quelled. Furthermore, the movie adaptation has been able to bring in new audiences, and other new viewers could potentially be introduced at home thanks to its digital and home releases in the lead-up to Wicked: For Good’s release. As such, the sequel could find an even greater audience than the 2024 feature. Given how things ended between Elphaba and Glinda in the 2024 adaptation, moviegoers will be curious to see how For Good will close off their tale.

Our Thoughts On Wicked’s Box Office Impact

A Greater Gross Could Mean Greater Investment In The Sequel’s Release

Wicked is already set to achieve an impressive feat by emerging as the third highest-grossing movie of 2024, but many may still be surprised to see it place so highly among Universal’s past releases. Upon its original release, E.T. quickly placed itself as the highest-grossing movie of all time for eleven years and cemented itself as one of the greatest feature films to many. As such, even though factors such as a rise in ticket pricing undoubtedly played a part in its success, hearing that Wicked overtook it is no small feat.

Furthermore, with Wicked being a proven hit, many may wonder if that means Universal will increase the potential for how the company handles the release. A sing-along version was released during the holiday season alongside an impressive press tour and the standard extensive merchandising efforts for any blockbuster. With Wicked now guaranteed to appeal to audiences, many may wonder if Universal will have a similar, if not greater, effort when the sequel releases on November 21.

Source: The Numbers