New fantasy movie on the block- “Wicked” Set to Reach $1 Billion at the Box Office Following New Record Achievement.
“Wicked” could be on track to join the billion-dollar club. The 2024 film is part of an extensive series of adaptations and reinterpretations, serving as a prequel to L. Frank Baum’s Oz books, which began with the classic 1939 musical “The Wizard of Oz” starring Judy Garland. The story originated from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, which led to a successful book series and was later adapted into a stage musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, the upcoming film features Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and Ariana Grande as Galinda, the future Good Witch of the South. The ensemble cast includes Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Bowen Yang as Pfannee, Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, and Peter Dinklage as Doctor Dillamond. This film is the first part of a two-part adaptation.
On October 10, Fandango announced that “Wicked” achieved significant milestones in ticket pre-sales on its opening day. It recorded the third-best first-day presales of all time for a PG-rated movie and the highest first-day PG presales of the year so far, surpassing Pixar’s “Inside Out 2.” It also secured the second-best first-day presales of the year overall, trailing only behind “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Given the success of previous films, “Wicked” has the potential for a strong domestic opening weekend in 2024 based on its pre-sale performance. Currently, “Inside Out 2” debuted with $154.2 million, while “Deadpool & Wolverine” grossed $211.4 million domestically.
However, for “Wicked” to reach the $1 billion milestone, it will need a solid international performance, as both of its predecessors thrived in overseas markets. The original “Inside Out” grossed over $500 million internationally, and “Deadpool & Wolverine” benefitted from its ties to two established franchises: X-Men and the MCU.
The global appeal of “Wicked” remains to be seen, though the original musical has gained international recognition since its Broadway debut in 2003, with productions staged in places like London, Germany, Mexico, Korea, Japan, and Australia, along with a two-year international tour from 2016 to 2018. This widespread exposure may help foster the same nostalgia for global audiences that domestic fans already have for the property.
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