The most financially successful film of the year is still Inside Out 2, which grossed over $1.5 billion. There is still a long way to go for Elphaba and Co to reach this mark. But Wicked is still one of the positive box office stories of 2024. The fantasy film has just broken a record in its sub-genre that has stood since 2008!
Wicked is now the most successful adaptation of a stage musical
With worldwide box office receipts of over $634 million As of this weekend, Wicked is the most financially successful adaptation of a stage musical, Deadline reports. This beats the previous frontrunner, Mamma Mia! from 2008, ranked second. The ABBA musical grossed over 600 million back then.
These are the 5 most successful adaptations of a stage musical (in dollars):
If we take a quick closer look at the top 5, one placement in particular is impressive: Grease, published in 1978, is still in the top 5 according to The Numbers.
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That’s what the elaborate fantasy film is about
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is a witch with green skin and is often teased by her classmates at school. Glinda (Ariana Grande), is her popular classmate who Elphaba initially thinks is wealthy and spoiled.
But despite their differences and their shared affection for a man, they must work together as roommates to realize their shared dream, to one day become great magicians in the land of Oz. Over time, an unexpected friendship develops between the two witches.
Wicked 2 will be released in cinemas in 2025
The audience doesn’t have to wait long for Wicked 2 (OT: Wicked: For Good). The sequel will start in German cinemas on November 20, 2025. The story will follow the end of the first part and then reach the timeline of The Wizard of Oz, but Dorothy’s story will be told from a different perspective. In an interview with Variety, director Jon M. Chu only revealed this much:
Dorothy is in the stage show. They have to overlap, and you can only touch on so much. I won’t say if she will necessarily be her own character in the second film. […] And yet there is interaction and some overlap. So I’ll leave that to part 2.