“Wicked” debuted to $164.2 million at the global box office, a towering figure that includes $50.1 million in overseas ticket sales. Universal’s big-budget adaptation of the hit musical was far bigger in North America with $118 million, ranking as the third-biggest domestic debut of the year and the best ever for a Broadway adaptation.
Globally, “Wicked” notched the largest opening for a film that’s based on a Broadway show, supplanting 2012’s “Les Miserables,” which ignited to $103 million. Ticket sales for “Wicked” rank as the fifth-biggest worldwide debut in history for a musical, ahead of Disney’s 2023 “The Little Mermaid” reimagining ($163.6 million) and behind 2019’s “The Lion King” ($446 million), 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast” remake ($358 million), 2019’s “Frozen 2” ($358 million ) and 2019’s “Aladdin” ($213 million).
As Glinda sings in the fizzy musical, critical reviews and word of mouth have been euphoric. In terms of individual markets, “Wicked” enjoyed the strongest start in the United Kingdom and Ireland with $17.6 million, followed by Australia with $6.7 million, Korea with $4.7 million and Mexico with $4 million. It has yet to open in major territories including France, China and Japan.
