Greatest Broadway musical ever

On January 1, 2025By Littum

“Wicked” isn’t done defying gravity at the box office.

After more than a month in theaters, the hit film has set a new record as the highest-grossing film based on a Broadway musical of all time.

The record was previously held by 2008’s “Mamma Mia!”, which grossed $611 million at the worldwide box office, according to Box Office Mojo. “Wicked” has so far earned $635 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo.

The success of “Wicked” is a big win for the genre of movies based on stage musicals, many of which have struggled financially in recent years.

In 2021, “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu’s own “In the Heights,” based on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s stage show, underperformed at the box office even though its release was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Cats,” Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” and “Dear Evan Hansen” also failed to do big business, raising questions about the viability of the musical adaptation in theaters.

But “Wicked” turned things around in a big way to become one of the biggest hit movies of the year. It currently stands as the sixth highest-grossing film of 2024, and is the only film in the top six that is not a sequel. As of Tuesday, the 2024 movies that have grossed more than “Wicked” worldwide are “Dune: Part Two,” “Moana 2,” “Despicable Me 4,” “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Inside Out 2.”

In January, the film version of the “Mean Girls” musical also did quite well, grossing over $100 million worldwide. It was originally intended to be released directly to streaming.

Previous musical adaptations that “Wicked” has exhausted include “Les Misérables” (442.8 million dollars), “Fat” (396 million dollars), and “Chicago” (306.8 million dollars).

In addition to cleaning up at the box office, “Wicked” looks set to have a presence throughout awards season. It has four nominations at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, including best comedy or musical. The film was also named Best Picture of the Year by the National Board of Review, an honor that typically precedes a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards.

Although domestic box office totals remain down from pre-pandemic levels, 2024 has still seen several blockbuster films set new records. Disney’s “Inside Out 2” became the highest-grossing animated film of all time, “Deadpool & Wolverine” became the highest-grossing R-rated film and “Moana 2” had the biggest Thanksgiving weekend ever.

Heading into 2025, the slate is packed with even more potential blockbusters like “Jurassic World Rebirth,” “Superman” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” not to mention the long-awaited “Wicked” follow-up, “Wicked: For Good,” which adapts the second half of the Broadway musical, hits theaters Nov. 21.