Background
The film is adapted from Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel of the same name, which in turn is based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 classic children's story, The Wizard of Oz. This IP, after 20 years on stage, saw its first installment gross $756 million worldwide in 2024. This sequel not only continues the unconventional narrative of Elphba and Glinda, but also demonstrates the market potential of musical adaptations with its groundbreaking box office performance
Box Office Performance
Wicked 2's North American opening weekend box office increased by 33% compared to its predecessor ($112.5 million), ranking second in North American opening weekend box office for 2025, second only to The Movie Minecraft's $162 million. Of its global opening weekend box office of $226 million, overseas markets contributed $76 million, with the UK setting a new record for the best opening weekend of the year at $24.4 million, and Australia breaking the record for the highest-grossing opening weekend for a musical film previously held by Beauty and the Beast. The film maintained an A CinemaScore and a 95% audience score, demonstrating strong word-of-mouth sustainability. Industry predictions suggest its final North American box office could reach $450 million, and its global cumulative box office may exceed $1.5 billion, far exceeding its $300 million production cost
Comparison with the Same Period
In the 2025 global box office rankings, Wicked 2 has already entered the top five for the year in its opening weekend, far surpassing its competitors released during the same period. For example, Now You See Me 3 only grossed $9.12 million in its second weekend, accumulating $36.82 million in two weeks; Predator: Kill Zone has accumulated $159.6 million worldwide, both far exceeding Wicked 2's figure. Looking at the overall picture, the film broke the opening weekend record for musical adaptations held by Grease (1978) ($11.5 million), becoming a new commercial benchmark for the genre