Wicked: For Good Surges Past Disney’s Biggest 2025 Flop In Just 72 Hours
Wicked: For Good casts a box-office spell with a colossal $223M global debut, opening No. 1 worldwide—the biggest launch ever for a Broadway musical—and putting Disney to shame. Released Nov. 21, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s sequel is already rewriting the record books.
Wicked: For Good didn’t just show up. It kicked down the door. And yeah, the comparison everyone’s making right now probably stings a bit over at Disney.
Wicked blasts out of the gate
Released November 21, the Ariana Grande/Cynthia Erivo sequel opened at No. 1 worldwide with $223 million in its first weekend. That’s now the biggest global opening ever for a Broadway musical adaptation. It also edges out Superman’s $220 million global debut by a hair. For good measure, it pulled $147 million domestically in its first three days, with the studio’s full weekend tally landing at $150 million. However you slice it, that’s a monster start.
Meanwhile, over in the Grid...
Tron: Ares has been struggling to find its groove since opening October 10. To date, it’s done $73 million domestic and $142 million worldwide. Here’s the wild part: Wicked’s domestic haul alone in three days ($147 million) topped Tron: Ares’ entire worldwide total so far by $5 million. North America did the heavy lifting, and then some.
The scorecard
- Wicked: For Good — Domestic: $147M first 3 days (studio weekend: $150M); Worldwide opening: $223M; Rotten Tomatoes: 69% so far
- Tron: Ares — Domestic to date: $73M; Worldwide to date: $142M; Rotten Tomatoes: 53%
Where it lands in 2025
Wicked: For Good now claims the year’s second-biggest domestic opening, just behind A Minecraft Movie at $162.8 million. Globally, it posted 2025’s fourth-highest opening, sitting behind Jurassic World: Rebirth, Minecraft, and Lilo & Stitch.
About those reviews
The reception is solid but not as glowing as last time. The first Wicked sits at 88% and went Certified Fresh. For Good is currently at 69%. So, more mixed this round, but clearly not enough to slow the turnout.
The franchise is about to hit a milestone
With two movies out, the series is already at $979.5 million combined and climbing. At this pace, it should clear the $1 billion mark in the next few weeks. That’s remarkably fast for a two-film run. Plenty of mega-franchises (Harry Potter, Twilight, Avengers, The Lord of the Rings) needed several entries over years to get there. Call it the Wicked effect: big brand, big music, big audience pull.
Who made the magic
Jon M. Chu directed, and the cast is deep: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Colman Domingo, and Michelle Yeoh. Runtime is 2 hours and 17 minutes. Between the performances and Chu’s gleaming, maximalist staging, it’s easy to see why this is playing like an event.
Wicked: For Good is in theaters worldwide now. If it keeps this pace, that $1B fanfare is coming fast.