‘Wicked: For Good’ defies gravity at box office with $226 million haul, biggest ever opening for Broadway musical adaptation

Core Insights - Universal Pictures' "Wicked: For Good" achieved a remarkable opening weekend, earning $150 million in North America and $226 million globally, marking it as the biggest opening for a Broadway musical adaptation [1][2] Box Office Performance - The film surpassed the previous record held by the first "Wicked" film, which opened at $112 million, and is now the second biggest debut of the year, following "A Minecraft Movie" at $162 million [2] - The film's previews generated $6.1 million on Monday and $6.5 million on Wednesday, leading to a total of $68.6 million by Friday from 4,115 theaters [2] - IMAX showings contributed $15.5 million, accounting for 11% of the domestic total, setting a November record for the company [2] Audience Demographics - Women comprised approximately 71% of ticket buyers during the opening weekend, indicating a strong demographic appeal [3] - Audience reception was overwhelmingly positive, with 83% stating they would "definitely recommend" the film to friends [3] Industry Impact - The success of "Wicked: For Good" is crucial for the exhibition industry as it approaches the end of the year, potentially setting up a strong finish for 2023 [5][6] - The current domestic box office stands at around $7.5 billion, with a post-pandemic goal of reaching $9 billion, raising questions about whether upcoming titles can help surpass this threshold [7][8] Competitive Landscape - Other films released during the same weekend, such as "Rental Family" and "Sisu: Road to Revenge," performed significantly lower, with earnings of $3.3 million and $2.6 million respectively [4][5]