FRIDAY AM: Universal’s Wicked: For Good has officially rung up $30.8M according to Universal this morning and that’s total previews from Monday to Thursday night. That’s the best overall previews for any movie in calendar year 2025 to date. That beats Disney/Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ $24.4M.
Broken out that’s:
–$18.2M from Thursday alone from shows that began as double feature and standard previews as early as 11AM yesterday, then 2PM for Wicked: For Good at 3,350 theaters. (Close to what we were seeing late last night).
–Monday Amazon Prime screenings generated $6.1M at 1,050 theatres.
–Wednesday advance screenings generated another $6.5M from 2,300 theatres.
Overall previews for Wicked: For Good are bigger than Barbie ($22.3M, $162M opening weekend, 68% female skewing movie) and under that of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($36M, $187.4M 3-day).
Now the hope is that that the sequel doesn’t fall apart. That’s not a ding, but last year by Friday midday, it was perceived that Wicked was $120M opening, which wasn’t the case as it had simmered down to $112.5M. That’s because of the frontloaded nature of the female skewing IP. What occurred last year over opening weekend is that Wicked didn’t expand any further beyond its core. Note, the movie went on to play quite well over the Thanksgiving stretch as families made time for Wicked over the break.
In Screen Engine/Comscore PostTrak exits I’m hearing Wicked: For Good is an awesome 82% definite recommend and 92% positive. Muy bien.
As we told you previously, Fandango reported that the Cynthia Erivo-Ariana Grande sequel was the best advance ticket seller ever for a PG-rated movie, and it was also the best pre-seller YTD.
Wicked: For Good arrives as a much needed boost for the post Labor Day frame box office, which through Monday was behind -2.2% from the same period a year ago per Comscore with $1.29 billion (and -31% compared to the post Labor Day to Nov. 18 period of 2019). While the pre-Thanksgiving weekend last year with Wicked minted north of $202 million for all movies, that frame also had the R-rated, male-skewing Gladiator II which debuted to $55M. Even without a Gladiator II like movie in the mix this weekend, some believe Wicked: For Good can make up the difference in its potential overperformance. Most holdovers in the top ten a year dropped -50% or steeper. We’ll see what can survive, but again, the holiday this week will make-up for any deficiencies this weekend.
Stage 6 Films and Screen Gems have the R-rated action/thriller, Sisu: Road to Revenge which grossed $575K for Thursday night previews starting at 4 p.m. from 1,925 locations. The film holds a great 96% critics score on Rottem Tomatoes and received a 4 ½ star PostTrak score. The movie is expected to file in the single digits. The 2022 first movie, Sisu, opened to $3.3M at 1,006 theaters and finaled at $7.2M. The pic is a microbudget play for Sony with an eye on the downstream.
Week’s top 5
- Now You See Me: Now You Don‘t (LG) 3,403 theaters, Wk $27.6M/Wk 1
- Running Man (Par) 3,534 theaters, Wk $21.2M/Wk 1
- Predator: Badlands (20th) 3,725 theaters, Wk $16.7M (-69%), Total $70M/Wk 2
- Regretting You (Par) 2,709 theaters, Wk $4.7M (-50%) , Total $45.7M/Wk 4
- Nuremberg (SPC) 1,830 theaters, Wk $3.63M (-40%), Total $9.69M/Wk 2
FRIDAY MIDNIGHT: Sources tell us that Universal’s Wicked: For Good Thursday night is coming in around $20M-$22M, and when you fold in Amazon sneaks and Wednesday premium fan shows, that figure is substantially higher.
Again, these are industry estimates as we always say, take them with a grain of salt until Universal officially reports in the AM. Previews on Thursday began at 2PM.
Best previews for the year so far goes to Disney/Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four: First Steps which did $24.4M. That was completely made from Thursday shows that began at 2 PM.
Wicked‘s total previews a year ago were $19.2M. Broken out that was $11M from 2PM Thursday showtimes, $2.5M from Monday previews and $5.7M from Wednesday fan showtimes. Those previews repped 42% of Wicked‘s first day Friday of $46.2M which wove a spell for a $112.5M opening, the best ever for a movie based on a Broadway musical. Despite the notion that some are projecting a $175M+ weekend for Wicked: For Good, word to the wise is that the sequel could be frontloaded just like the last film which skewed 72% female with 57% between 18-34 in Screen Engine/Comscore PostTrak exits. The more sober projection for the stateside start of the Jon M. Chu directed sequel is between $125M-$150M. The word is out already among the fans that Wicked: For Good is slightly better (or about the same) as Wicked with a Rotten Tomatoes Audience score that’s 97% to last year’s 95%.
Wicked: For Good is bound to make most of its bank stateside just like the last one which saw 63% of its $758.4M global gross coming from U.S./Canada. The forecasted worldwide start for part two is well north of $200M+.
What’s obviously expected for Wicked: For Good is that it’s going to break a whole other round of opening records.
