Wicked is one of the most beloved Broadway musicals of the 21st century, and its live-action adaptation was a long time coming. This star-studded musical lived up to the hype, scoring the biggest opening for a film based on a Broadway musical with $162.5 million grossed worldwide.
Wicked fans couldn’t wait to see this musical on the big screen, and its epic promotional campaign helped it score a $112.5 million domestic opening, grossing $162.5 million worldwide. This is the biggest domestic opening for a Broadway adaptation, surpassing Into the Woods ($31 million), and the largest one worldwide, breaking the record previously held by Les Miserables ($103 million).
Inspired by L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz novels, Wicked chronicles the journey of a young woman named Elphaba during her time at Shiz University. She struggles to fit in because of her green skin, until forming an unlikely friendship with the popular girl Glinda, which will change the course of their lives.
In addition to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, Wicked also stars Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. Its sequel is already on the way, and it will hit the theaters a year later, on November 21, 2025.