Box Office: ‘Wicked: For Good’ Posts Biggest Opening Day of 2025

Universal Pictures’ sequel Wicked: For Good opened to a powerhouse start on Friday, collecting $68.6 million from Friday and preview screenings across 4,115 North American locations and putting the film on track for a projected $151.5 million opening weekend through Sunday. The total includes $12.6 million earned in early previews before the traditional Thursday evening launch. If the estimate holds, Wicked: For Good would register the largest opening ever for a Broadway adaptation and the second-biggest opening in Universal’s history, trailing only Jurassic World. Early audience polling and premium-format grosses point to strong demand over the Thanksgiving window.

Key Takeaways

• Friday plus previews: Wicked: For Good earned $68.6 million from 4,115 North American locations on Friday and preview screenings.
• Previews accounted for $12.6 million, due to Monday/Wednesday fan events and Amazon Prime member screenings.
• Weekend projection: Industry trackers estimate a $151.5 million opening weekend through Sunday.
• Record benchmarks: That would be the largest opening for a Broadway adaptation and Universal’s second-biggest opening behind Jurassic World.
• Premium formats boosted returns: 4DX and ScreenX contributed roughly $922,000 and $1 million, respectively, across previews and Friday.
• Audience reaction: CinemaScore returned an “A,” matching the 2024 predecessor’s grade, while critical reception is warm but cooler than last year’s awards-season buzz.
• Studio investment: Universal has spent approximately $300 million across both Wicked films (production only), not counting large marketing expenditures.
• Market context: The launch provides a rare Thanksgiving blockbuster, breaking a several-month drought of nine-figure openings for North American theaters.

Background

The Wicked franchise began with the 2024 adaptation that opened the previous Thanksgiving frame with a $112 million debut. That film combined Broadway source material, star casting and a heavy awards-season push to become a cultural event; Universal doubled down for a sequel. Studios have increasingly leaned on event-style musicals and franchise tentpoles to anchor peak calendar windows like Thanksgiving and summer.

In recent years, studios also expanded early-preview strategies—offering fan screenings, loyalty-member access and weekday showings—to front-load grosses and create early momentum. Universal applied that playbook here, staging Monday and Wednesday previews plus Amazon Prime member screenings and fan-oriented double features to capture revenue ahead of the traditional Thursday night start.

Main Event

On Friday, box-office measurement firms reported $68.6 million in Friday-and-preview grosses for Wicked: For Good from 4,115 locations in North America, with $12.6 million of that total coming prior to Thursday evening because of the studio’s early-preview plan. The pre-Thursday screenings included targeted fan events and Amazon Prime member access, which contributed materially to the day-one figure.

Universal’s sequel enjoyed near-exclusive placement in IMAX and other premium large-format auditoriums, translating into higher average ticket prices. Reporting shows roughly $922,000 from 4DX auditoriums and about $1 million from ScreenX across previews and Friday, figures described as a roughly 70% uplift compared with those formats’ collective opening-day intake for the first Wicked.

Moviegoer polling returned an “A” from CinemaScore for the PG-rated musical, matching the predecessor’s audience mark. Critics’ response is generally favorable but not as effusive as the first film’s awards-era acclaim; however, strong audience sentiment and premium-format revenue indicate a commercially robust opening trajectory through the holiday stretch.

Competing releases shifted in the wake of Wicked’s arrival. Lionsgate’s Now You See Me: Now You Don’t fell to second place with $2.6 million on Friday and a projected $9.4 million sophomore weekend, while Predator: Badlands is tracking to finish third with a weekend near $76.5 million cumulative domestically. Other releases, including Paramount’s The Running Man and Searchlight’s Rental Family, showed steeper second-weekend declines but maintain niche and awards-driven interest, respectively.

Analysis & Implications

Wicked: For Good’s performance underscores the continued commercial power of IP rooted in live entertainment, showing that Broadway-to-screen adaptations can scale to blockbuster openings when combined with wide theatrical placement and premium-format availability. The $151.5 million projection would reset expectations for stage-based adaptations and could influence studio greenlighting for similar projects in peak calendar windows.

Universal’s preview strategy—shifting a meaningful slice of first-weekend business into earlier weekday screenings—illustrates how studios are optimizing release calendars to maximize early revenue and social momentum. That approach can inflate single-day tallies relative to films that strictly adhere to a Thursday night launch, complicating straightforward year-to-date comparisons of opening-day records.

For North American exhibitors, Wicked offers a timely box-office catalyst after several months without a nine-figure bow. Strong premium-format occupancy lifts concession revenue per patron and helps sustain weekend grosses; if the film holds through Thanksgiving and into December, it could materially improve end-of-year box-office tallies and holiday season foot traffic.

From a risk perspective, Universal’s heavy investment—about $300 million for production across both films—plus substantial marketing outlays creates high stakes for long-term returns beyond the opening weekend. International performance and ancillary revenue (streaming, home entertainment, merchandising) will determine whether the franchise’s profitability aligns with its event-film status.

Comparison & Data

The table shows how Wicked: For Good’s Friday-and-preview figure outstrips other single-day tallies in 2025 so far, though its early-preview component complicates direct, like-for-like comparisons with films that did not employ substantial pre-Thursday screenings. The weekend projection would place it near the top of 2025 openings, behind A Minecraft Movie’s opening weekend and ahead of other big releases.

Reactions & Quotes

‘A’ — CinemaScore audience grade reported for Wicked: For Good, matching the predecessor’s audience reception.

CinemaScore (audience polling)

Early previews contributed $12.6 million before the traditional Thursday launch, lifting Friday’s headline figure.

Variety (industry press)

Unconfirmed

• Whether Wicked: For Good will finish exactly at the $151.5 million projection — weekend estimates can shift substantially through Sunday and Monday reporting.
• The film’s long-term hold and eventual domestic cume remain to be seen, particularly against December releases and international box-office performance.

Bottom Line

Wicked: For Good opened with a commanding Friday-and-preview performance, reflecting a successful deployment of early previews, premium-format placement and strong audience enthusiasm. The $68.6 million Friday total and $151.5 million weekend projection would rewrite benchmarks for Broadway adaptations and reinforce Universal’s event-film strategy.

That said, the early-preview portion of the total means the headline day-one figure requires context when compared to straight Thursday-night launches. Final weekend tallies, international receipts and downstream revenue streams will determine whether the sequel converts its blockbuster start into sustained franchise profitability.

Sources

• Variety — industry press report and box-office accounting
• CinemaScore — audience polling organization