The Wicked witches are returning to theaters soon with Wicked: For Good, and are expected to resume the franchise’s trend of smashing box office records, which began last year. 2024’s Wicked achieved a record-breaking opening weekend debut of $114 million, the all-time best for a Broadway musical adaptation, surpassing 2012’s Les Misérables.
In addition to its staggering debut gross domestically, Wicked reached $164 million globally in its first weekend. It went on to gross a worldwide total of $756 million, with $473 million coming from domestic sales, making it the highest-grossing Broadway musical movie adaptation of all time. It was also a huge critical success, holding an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and winning several Oscar nominations.
Now, Wicked: For Good, arriving in theaters on November 21, is on track to surpass this. Leading market research firm NRG projects that the Wicked follow-up will debut at $115 million domestically, with the potential to reach even $120 million, breaking its all-time record from last year. This time around, Wicked is, of course, benefiting from the critical acclaim of its predecessor.
With the first reactions to Wicked: For Good appearing on social media, any worries that audiences might have had about the follow-up going badly awry have been assuaged. It appears to be following in Wicked‘s footsteps of faithfully adapting the beloved Broadway production while developing the story and visuals for a cinematic medium, with powerhouse performances from the entire cast.
While there may have been some skepticism last year about the quality of the adaptation, the public is largely past it, and nothing has been hindering Wicked: For Good‘s hype, which could easily allow it to surpass Wicked at the domestic and worldwide box office. It also stands to overtake Pixar’s Coco in the rankings of movie musicals in general (regardless of Broadway origins).
Meanwhile, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are all but guaranteed to again secure Oscar nominations for portraying Elphaba a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good, respectively. Director Jon M. Chu is unlikely as a Best Director nominee, but Wicked: For Good will probably still be nominated for Best Picture, in addition to certain crafts categories.
Wicked is also going to dominate the Best Original Song category, as both Erivo and Grande are performing songs written for the movie, titled “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble,” respectively. When Wicked: For Good hits theaters in a little less than a month, it is going to be Wicked season once again as the sequel dominates the world.
- Release Date
-
November 21, 2025
- Director
-
Jon M. Chu
- Writers
-
Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire