Wicked is having an amazing run at the box office and just hit a big milestone. Based on the Broadway musical, the movie stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp and Ariana Grande as Galinda Upland. It earned great reviews and runs as long as the original play but covers only half of the story.
A sequel, Wicked: For Good, is scheduled to release on November 21, 2025. After the first movie’s huge success, the sequel is expected to do really well too.
According to Deadline, Wicked has officially become the highest-grossing stage musical adaptation ever. The movie made an estimated $634.4 million worldwide, beating Mamma Mia!‘s $611 million. Wicked earned $424 million in the U.S. and $210 million internationally. In comparison, Mamma Mia! made $144 million in the U.S. and $467 million from other countries.
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To truly understand Mamma Mia!’s huge success, it’s important to remember these numbers don’t include inflation. If adjusted, Wicked would need to earn even more. In today’s money, Mamma Mia! made $913 million, which is much higher than Wicked’s total. This shows how amazing the 2008 musical was, even though Wicked has been a big hit at the box office since its release on November 22.
Related: Wicked Becomes One Of The Top 50 Highest-Grossing Movies Of All Time In The U.S.
As the holiday season goes on, Wicked is expected to keep earning more money, but it probably won’t beat Mamma Mia! when adjusted for inflation. Wicked’s amazing soundtrack has helped its box office success, but it might need help from the sequel, Wicked: For Good, to break that record.
Even so, the movie’s earnings show that making this adaptation was a smart choice, even with its $150 million budget. Passing Mamma Mia! is a huge achievement, especially since no other Broadway adaptation, not even Les Misérables (2012), has managed to do this before.
Wicked is now the highest-grossing stage musical adaptation ever, proving its huge success. However, it could have done even better. The movie premiered during a tough time for theaters, as the box office is still recovering from the pandemic.
If it had come out before 2020, it might have become an even bigger hit. Wicked also faced strong competition from other musicals like Mufasa and Moana 2. If it had been released at a less crowded time, it might have stood out more. Unfortunately, its timing held it back.
Source: Deadline