Wicked: For Good Thursday Box Office Beats Superman to Shatter 2025 Record

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While Predator: Badlands provided a small boost to theaters after a slow October, the film industry was really counting on this weekend for a major comeback. The release of Wicked: For Good, the highly anticipated sequel to last year’s blockbuster, arrived just in time for Thanksgiving. Experts predicted Wicked: For Good would be a huge success, and now, after breaking pre-sale records on Fandango and continuing to shatter expectations, it looks poised to be one of the year’s biggest films.

According to Variety, Wicked: For Good made $30.8 million in the U.S. from early showings. This includes regular previews on Thursday, special screenings for Amazon Prime members on Monday, and double features of both Wicked movies. This is the biggest preview earnings of any movie this year, surpassing the $22.5 million earned by Superman earlier this summer.

Can Wicked: For Good Score the Year’s Biggest Box Office Opening?

Early predictions estimated that Wicked: For Good would earn $112 to $115 million during its opening weekend. Now, experts believe it could bring in between $150 and $180 million, potentially making it 2025’s biggest opening weekend so far. Currently, A Minecraft Movie holds that record with $162 million. It’s been hard to get an accurate forecast for For Good because so many people bought tickets in advance, throwing off calculations. This could mean most of the film’s ticket sales will happen during the opening weekend, similar to what happened with the first Wicked movie last year. Initially, the first film was expected to open with $120 million, but it ultimately earned $112.5 million.

Early preview numbers aren’t always a reliable sign of a movie’s overall opening weekend success. For example, A Minecraft Movie made $10.6 million in previews, less than Superman. Yet, it went on to earn over $160 million in just three days. Whether Wicked: For Good will surpass Minecraft‘s opening weekend will likely depend on how well it does on Saturday and Sunday. Given the high anticipation and dedicated fanbase for Wicked: For Good, a strong opening was expected, so its preview numbers weren’t a surprise.

I’m really excited for Wicked: For Good, and while the early reviews are generally good, they aren’t quite as amazing as the first Wicked movie. The scores are a little lower – around 70% compared to 88% – and most critics seem to agree it’s a strong film with great music and acting, but doesn’t quite reach the same level as the original. I don’t think this will hurt ticket sales much, but it might make some people who aren’t die-hard fans decide to wait and see it later instead of rushing to the theater. A movie really takes off when it attracts everyone, not just its core audience, and these reviews could sway those on the fence.

Despite the reviews, people are still expected to see the movie. The fact that Wicked: For Good is the final installment should also help its performance, similar to how The Conjuring: Last Rites saw a big boost in ticket sales when it was marketed as the end of the series. Interestingly, Last Rites received even more negative reviews than Wicked, suggesting these types of films can often succeed regardless of what critics say. Even if Wicked: For Good doesn’t beat A Minecraft Movie, Universal and theaters are likely to be happy with the results as the holiday movie season begins strongly.

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2025-11-21 20:16