Wicked: For Good continues its strong theatrical run, now passing another significant movie inspired by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Though it has not made quite the same splash as last year’s Wicked, which was a true cultural phenomenon, the second half of the Broadway musical movie adaptation has grossed $490 million worldwide since its theatrical release on November 21.
In comparison, 2024’s Wicked grossed nearly $758 million during its time in theaters. Starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the two Wicked movies chart the relationship between the future Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good, before and during the time Dorothy is in Oz, as Elphaba combats The Wizard’s (Jeff Goldblum) regime after discovering he is a fraud.
Now, per The Numbers, Wicked: For Good is No. 41 on the list of the highest-grossing fantasy movies of all time at the worldwide box office, having just moved above 2013’s Oz the Great and Powerful at No. 42 (Wicked is No. 25). Oz the Great and Powerful is also a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, but told from The Wizard’s perspective, loosely based on the original source material.
This entry stars James Franco as “Oz”, Michelle Williams as Glinda, Mila Kunis as Theodora (Wicked Witch of the West), and Rachel Weisz as Evanora (East). It received mixed reviews, and despite grossing nearly $500 million worldwide, it was a modest box office success, due to its inflated production budget (with some sources estimating Disney spent $300 million).
In contrast, the first Wicked movie was met with widespread critical acclaim and received a total of 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Cynthia Erivo, and Best Supporting Actress for Ariana Grande. Erivo and Grande have again been nominated for Golden Globes for Wicked: For Good, though the movie itself wasn’t nominated for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy.
Wicked: For Good‘s deflated reception may result in it losing some of the Oscar nominations most predicted it would get ahead of its release, though anticipation was still high for the finale, and Erivo and Grande’s performances were widely praised. The movie is also still in cinemas, which allows the worldwide box office gross the chance to come closer to its predecessor.
The Wizard of Oz is a timeless classic that continues to capture people’s imagination, and as L. Frank Baum’s original books are in the public domain, many have stepped up to reinterpret the world and characters. Wicked: For Good may not be the most or the least commercially successful adaptation of it, but it is still moving up the rankings of past fantasy box office hits.
- Release Date
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November 21, 2025
- Runtime
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137 Minutes
- Director
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Jon M. Chu
- Writers
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Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire
- Producers
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Marc Platt, David Stone
