After much anticipation, Wicked has finally made it to movie screens—and it’s already a huge hit at the box office.
The first installment of the two-part film series was released on November 22, with Wicked: Part Two scheduled to premiere in theaters on November 21, 2025. The two feature films are adapted from the acclaimed Broadway musical Wicked, a retelling of The Wizard of Oz that explores the origins and friendship of two iconic witches: Elphaba, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch.
The film features Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. The cast also includes Ethan Slater as the Munchkin Boq, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as headmistress Madame Morrible and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard.
According to Box Office Mojo, Wicked has joined the list of all-time-biggest box-office openings, ranking in the top 100. During the weekend of November 22 to 24, the film premiered with an estimated $114 million in domestic ticket sales, marking the highest opening weekend for a Broadway adaptation at the box office.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo at the “Journey Through Oz” Tour to celebrate the Australian premiere of “Wicked” at State Theatre in Sydney on November 3. According to Box Office Mojo, “Wicked” has joined the list of all-time-biggest box-office openings.
Don Arnold/WireImage
At the time of writing, Wicked had the 63rd highest-grossing opening weekend of all time in the U.S., beating the opening weekend box-office hauls of films such as Toy Story 3, Shrek 2 and Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith.
Newsweek contacted director Jon M. Chu and spokespeople for Universal Pictures, which distributed the film, for comment by email.
Wicked achieved the third biggest opening weekend at the domestic box office for 2024, behind Deadpool & Wolverine‘s $211.4 million and Inside Out 2‘s $154.2 million, Deadline reported. Internationally, the film has made about $50.1 million, bringing its opening weekend global total to $164 million in ticket sales.
Ahead of its release, the movie launched a marketing blitz, including themed Starbucks beverages, and Erivo and Grande popped up at various events. Actors who have previously starred in the musical on Broadway also appeared at premiere events.
During the movie, which runs for two hours and 41 minutes, eagle-eyed fans may have spotted four surprise cameos.
Fans who have not yet seen the movie may wish to avoid the incoming spoilers.
When Elphaba and Glinda arrive at Oz’s capital, Emerald City, they are serenaded by a group of people. Among these figures are Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who played Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, in the original Broadway production in 2003.
Accompanied by a chorus of performers, Menzel and Chenoweth lend their vocals to a performance of “One Short Day.”
While these two are perhaps the most noticeable of the cameos, Broadway fans may have spotted two others.
During the number, Winnie Holzman, who wrote the book for the 2003 musical, and the screenplays for the two-part film adaptation, appears among the crowd and says: “He can read it [the Grimmerie]! He must be a Wizard!”
Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the music and lyrics for the musical, also appears briefly as the Emerald City Guardian of the Gates. From a watchtower, he announces to Elphaba and Glinda, “The wizard will see you now.”
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