Wicked Movie – Why Universal’s $150 Million Gamble Actually Paid Off
Okay so Wicked the movie. Let me just say upfront – this isn’t your typical Broadway-to-screen adaptation and honestly Universal Pictures took a massive gamble dropping $150 million on part one alone. Director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians guy) basically decided to split the musical into two films which had theatre people losing their minds on Twitter back in April 2022 when they announced it.
The thing is, Wicked opened November 22, 2024 and pulled in $164.2 million domestically in its first weekend. That’s nuts. For context, that’s bigger than any Broadway musical adaptation opening ever – yes, even beating out Les Mis which did $103 million for its entire opening weekend globally back in 2012.
The Casting That Nobody Expected
Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba and Ariana Grande is Glinda, which was honestly a weird casting choice that somehow worked? Grande wasn’t even on most people’s radar for this role initially. Word is she auditioned back in 2021 and Chu saw something. The woman did her own stunts in that defying gravity sequence too, which is kind of insane when you think about the insurance liability alone.
What Makes This Different
Here’s where it gets interesting. The film runs 2 hours 40 minutes and only covers Act 1 of the stage show. That’s a bold move. Most studios would’ve tried cramming the whole thing into 150 minutes max. But Chu and screenwriter Winnie Holzman (who wrote the original musical book) expanded everything. New scenes, deeper character backgrounds, whole musical numbers that weren’t in the stage version.
They shot at Sky Studios Elstree in the UK, same place where they filmed stuff like Indiana Jones. Built actual sets instead of going full green screen – there’s this whole Emerald City that’s practically a real place. Marc Platt produced, same guy behind La La Land, so he knows his musicals.
The Green Situation
The makeup department went through 40 different shades before landing on Elphaba’s green. Forty! And they used practical makeup instead of CGI which meant Erivo sat in the chair for 2.5 hours every single day of shooting. There were 173 shooting days total if you can believe that.
Box Office Numbers That Don’t Lie
Box office tracking had this doing maybe $85-100 million opening weekend. Instead it nearly doubled projections and became the biggest musical opening since 2017’s Beauty and the Beast ($174.8 million). On Rotten Tomatoes it’s sitting at 89% critics and 96% audience score which is pretty rare – usually there’s a bigger gap.
Oh and the whole «Barbenheimer» thing from summer 2023? Studios tried manufacturing «Glicked» (Gladiator II + Wicked) for Thanksgiving weekend 2024. Didn’t quite have the same organic energy but both movies still performed well. Gladiator II did $55.5 million the same weekend which is solid counter-programming.
The Technical Stuff That Actually Matters
Paul Tazewell did costumes – same designer from Hamilton – and apparently there are over 1,000 unique costume pieces in the film. Glinda’s bubble dress alone took 6 weeks to construct. The production design team planted 9 million tulips for Munchkinland. Real tulips. In England. They had to time the shoot perfectly with blooming season which is kind of a logistical nightmare when you’re working with a $150M budget and studio deadlines.
Premium Formats Are Carrying This Thing
IMAX and Dolby Cinema formats account for roughly 30% of the total gross so far, which tells you people actually want the full experience for this one. AMC Theatres reported their highest musical advance ticket sales ever for Wicked – beat out even the Mean Girls musical earlier in 2024.
New Music From the Original Composer
Stephen Schwartz wrote additional music for the film beyond what’s in the stage show. The man’s 76 years old and still expanding his own work. «Popular» runs about 45 seconds longer in the movie version with new choreography from Christopher Scott.
Part 2 and What’s Coming
Part 2 is scheduled for November 21, 2025. They shot both films back-to-back which is efficient but risky – if part one had bombed they’d still have to release part two. That’s a $300 million bet. Jeff Goldblum plays the Wizard and Michelle Yeoh is Madame Morrible, both of whom have bigger roles in the second film supposedly.
Marketing Mishaps and Wins
The viral marketing was interesting. They partnered with Starbucks for themed drinks, Target had exclusive merch, there was a whole Mattel doll controversy when the packaging accidentally linked to an adult website. That last thing probably got them more press than their actual marketing budget delivered.
Where You Can Watch It
Streaming rights went to NBCUniversal’s Peacock obviously since Universal distributed. Won’t hit the platform until probably May or June 2025 based on typical theatrical windows. Digital rental/purchase probably March 2025.
Look, the movie’s not perfect. Some scenes drag, the pacing in the middle third gets wonky, and if you’re not into musicals you’re going to check your watch during the Ozdust Ballroom sequence. But it’s doing something right when a nearly 3-hour musical in 2024 is outperforming most tentpole action films.