The Witches of Oz are making magic at the box office.<\/p>\n
Universal\u2019s Thanksgiving tentpole\u00a0Wicked: For Good<\/a>\u00a0opened to a record-smashing $150 million in North America and $226 million worldwide after topping Friday\u2019s North American chart with a massive $68.7 million from 4,115 theaters (that number includes $30.8 million in previews<\/a>). Audiences are more than embracing the pic<\/a>, giving it an A Cinemascore and a glowing 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>. It earned rave exit numbers on Comscore; kids in particular were enthralled. Overseas, it likewise opened to a record-busting $76 million from 78 markets for a global start of $226 million.<\/p>\n More from The Hollywood Reporter<\/p>\n Wicked: For Good<\/a>\u00a0is the second title in filmmaker\u00a0Jon M. Chu<\/a>\u2018s ambitious\u00a0big-screen adaptation<\/a>\u00a0of the iconic Broadway musical and book about the untold story of the witches of Oz.\u00a0Ariana Grande<\/a>\u00a0stars as Glinda the Good Witch and\u00a0Cynthia Erivo<\/a>\u00a0as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. The cast also includes Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh.<\/p>\n The female-fueled movie shattered numerous opening records everywheree. Domestically, it boasts the biggest start ever for a Broadway musical adaptation after besting last year\u2019s Wicked ($112.5 million) and the third-biggest of all time among any musical behind 2019\u2019s\u00a0The Lion King\u00a0and 2017\u2019s\u00a0Beauty and the Beast, no adjusted for inflation. It is also the second-biggest North American opening ever for a Universal title behind Jurassic World ($208.8 million); the second-best for the weekend before Thanksgiving behind\u00a0The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($158.1 million); and the second-best 3-day launch of 2025 to date behind A Minecraft Movie ($208.9 million). Lilo & Stitch, opening over Memorial Day, collected $147 million for the three-day weekend and $182.6 million for the four-day holiday frame.<\/p>\n Chu\u2019s film likewise passed up Wicked overseas to rank as the top launch ever for a Broadway adaptation. It is also the fifth-biggest opening of all time for any musical behind The Lion King (2019), Moana 2, Frozen 2 and\u00a0Beauty and the Beast. Lastly, it passed up Superman to become the fourth-biggest, three-day opening of the year to date behind Jurassic World Rebirth, Minecraft and\u00a0Lilo & Stitch.<\/p>\n Overseas, the U.K. led with a record-busting $24.4 million, which is the best-ever November opening, the biggest start for a Broadway adaptation and the best opening of the year to date, not adjusted for inflation.<\/p>\n Other records: Imax ponied up $21.1 million of the bottom line, including $15.5 million domestically to rank as the biggest start ever for a November family friendly title.<\/p>\n Wicked: For Good\u00a0is a needed jolt for the struggling North American\u00a0box office<\/a> in particular, which has suffered the worst fall in decades due to a glut of male-skewing pics and a lack of product for females and families. The movie\u2019s better-than-expected performance more than proves the buying power of girls and women; nearly 70 percent of audience were females.<\/p>\n On the same weekend a year ago,\u00a0the first Wicked\u00a0likewise made history<\/a>\u00a0in its debut on its way to grossing nearly $750 million globally, a record showing for a Broadway musical adaptation. Such adaptations have been a tough genre for Hollywood to crack, but NBCUniversal entertainment chief and longtime movie studio head Donna Langley has remained intent on doing just that, even after Cats bombed. She\u2019s succeeded.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Searchlight opened the Brendon Fraser-led specialty dramedy Rental Family <\/a>nationwide in 1,925 theaters. The critical and audience darling grossed an estimated $3.3 million to place fifth and become the latest adult drama to struggle, but Searchlight is hopeful it will have staying power over the lucrative Thanksgiving corridor. The holiday feast will became even more crowded on Wednesday when Zootopia yaps its way into cinemas.<\/p>\n Among holdovers, Lionsgate\u2019s Now You See Me: Now You Don\u2019t held in nicely its sophomore outing. The pic came in second with an estimated $9.1 million from 3,403 locations for a domestic total of $36.8 million and $146.2 million globally.<\/p>\n Disney and 20th Century\u2019s Predator: Badlands rebounded to come in third with $6.3 million from 3,100 locations for a three-week domestic total of $76.3 million. Overseas, it added another $7.6 million for a foreign tally of $83.3 million and franchise best-cume of $159.6 million, not adjusted for inflation.<\/p>\n Paramount\u2019s troubled The Running Man tumbled 65 percent in its second outing to $5.8 million from 3,534 theaters for a 10-day domestic total of $27 million and fourth-place finish. The Edgar Wright-directed pic, starring Adam Powell, earned $7.1 million overseas for a foreign tally of $21.3 million and $48.3 million globally.<\/p>\n This story was originally published Nov. 22 at 8:00\u00a0a.m.<\/p>\n Best of The Hollywood Reporter<\/p>\n Sign up for THR’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Witches of Oz are making magic at the box office. 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