Universal’s Wicked: For Good storms the Thanksgiving box office with a record $150 million debut in North America and $226 million worldwide. The film jumps to the top of Friday’s chart with $68.7 million from 4,115 theaters, including $30.8 million in previews. Audiences respond with an A Cinemascore and a 95 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating. Comscore exit polling is equally strong, with kids especially enthusiastic. Overseas markets delivered another $76 million from 78 territories. The global launch reaches $226 million
Record-Breaking Results Across the Board
The film sets the biggest domestic opening for a Broadway musical adaptation, surpassing last year’s Wicked at $112.5 million. Wicked: For Good now ranks behind only The Lion King (2019) and Beauty and the Beast (2017) among all musicals when not adjusted for inflation.
It scores the second-biggest North American opening for a Universal film behind Jurassic World ($208.8 million). It also posts the second-best pre-Thanksgiving weekend launch behind The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($158.1 million). Among 2025 releases, it trails only A Minecraft Movie ($208.9 million). Lilo & Stitch, released over Memorial Day, opened to $147 million for three days and $182.6 million across the long weekend.
Internationally, Wicked: For Good becomes the top-opening Broadway adaptation of all time. It ranks fifth among musical openings behind The Lion King, Moana 2, Frozen 2, and Beauty and the Beast. It also posts the fourth-biggest global three-day start of the year behind Jurassic World Rebirth, Minecraft, and Lilo & Stitch.
Imax contributes $21.1 million globally, including $15.5 million domestic. That sets a new benchmark for a November family-focused release.
A Boost for the North American Box Office
The film gives the domestic market a much-needed lift. The fall season has been the weakest in decades, weighed down by male-skewing titles and a lack of family and female-focused releases. Wicked: For Good reverses that trend. Nearly 70 percent of the audience is female, signaling strong demand.
Last year’s Wicked also opened over this weekend and went on to earn nearly $750 million globally. Broadway adaptations have been a challenge for studios, but NBCUniversal entertainment chair Donna Langley continues to back the genre. Her persistence pays off.
Rounding Out The Top Five
Lionsgate’s Now You See Me: Now You Don’t holds well in its second weekend. It earns $9.1 million from 3,403 theaters and lifts its domestic total to $36.8 million and its global haul to $146.2 million.
Disney and 20th Century’s Predator: Badlands rebounds to third place with $6.3 million from 3,100 theaters. The domestic total rises to $76.3 million after three weeks. The film brings in another $7.6 million overseas for a foreign total of $83.3 million and a franchise-best $159.6 million worldwide.
Paramount’s troubled The Running Man drops 65 percent in its second weekend. It adds $5.8 million from 3,534 theaters for a 10-day domestic total of $27 million. It collects $7.1 million overseas, raising its global tally to $48.3 million. The film is directed by Edgar Wright and stars Glen Powell.
Rental Family, starring Fraser as an actor hired to play stand-in roles for strangers in Japan, rounds out the top five with $3.3 million. Strong reviews may support long-term play over the holiday season.
The top 12 movies at the box office, as of Sunday, November 23, are as follows:
| # | Title | Distributor Name | Weekend Total | # of Locs | Loc Avg | Cume Total | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wicked: For Good | Universal | $150,000,000 | 4,115 | $36,452 | $150,000,000 | |
| 2 | Now You See Me: Now You Don’t | Lionsgate | $9,120,000 | 3,403 | $2,680 | $36,829,000 | -57% |
| 3 | Predator: Badlands | 20th Century Studios | $6,250,000 | 3,100 | $2,016 | $76,284,737 | -51% |
| 4 | Running Man, The | Paramount | $5,800,000 | 3,534 | $1,641 | $27,048,000 | -65% |
| 5 | Rental Family | Searchlight | $3,300,000 | 1,925 | $1,714 | $3,300,000 | |
| 6 | Sisu: Road to Revenge | Sony | $2,600,000 | 2,222 | $1,170 | $2,600,000 | |
| 7 | Regretting You | Paramount | $1,520,000 | 1,754 | $867 | $47,258,000 | -59% |
| 8 | Nuremberg | Sony Pictures Classics | $1,234,302 | 1,010 | $1,222 | $11,013,967 | -49% |
| 9 | Black Phone 2 | Universal | $1,000,000 | 1,227 | $815 | $76,389,000 | -62% |
| 10 | Sarah’s Oil | Amazon MGM Studios | $771,542 | 1,347 | $573 | $10,352,000 | -66% |
| 11 | Sentimental Value | Neon Rated | $635,000 | 151 | $4,205 | $1,477,075 | 67% |
| 12 | MET Opera: Arabella (2025) | Fathom Entertainment | $609,939 | 713 | $855 | $609,939 |
