“Wicked: The Two Witches” starts off as a record-breaking hit, “Gladiator II” starts in the US in second place | THE RIVER

The movie “Wicked'' opened in the US on November 22, 2024, and was a magical hit with $114 million. Cumulative worldwide box office revenue is $164.18 million.

“Wicked: The Two Witches” is a film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, which is also very popular in Japan. High performance was expected for this film, as it had the second best start of the year in advance ticket sales after “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

This year's opening weekend record is second only to “Deadpool & Wolverine'' with $211.43 million and “Inside Head 2'' with $154.2 million. The US media is focusing on movies such as “Into the Woods'' (2014) and “Mamma Mia! “ (2008), “Hairspray'' (2007), “Les Misérables'' (2012) and others, it has achieved record-breaking domestic performance, making it the highest ever for a film based on a Broadway musical.

Ridley Scott's Gladiator II also debuted on the same day, opening in second place with $55.5 million. According to Variety, the audience for “Wicked'' was approximately 75% female, while the audience for “Gladiator II'' was predominantly male. Whether a synergistic effect similar to the “Barbenheimer'' phenomenon of “Barbie'' and “Oppenheimer'' that caused a stir at the box office in 2023 has been created will continue to be analyzed in various places.

“Wicked'' is a story about Elphaba and Glinda, who become roommates at Shizu University in the land of magic and fantasy, and deepen their friendship as they clash because of their opposite appearances and personalities. Elphaba, who is misunderstood by those around her due to her green skin and has not yet discovered her true power, and Glinda, an ambitious and popular girl who has not yet discovered her true heart, will soon drastically change the fate of the Land of Oz…

“Wicked: The Two Witches” will be released in Japan from spring 2025. I hope that it will be a hit in Japan as well as maintain its momentum overseas.

Source:Box Office Mojo,Deadline,Variety,THR