Wicked Broke A Major Broadway Record Thanks To The Movie

Jon M. Chu's musical "Wizard of Oz" riff "Wicked," based on the pop-u-lar Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, wasn't terribly well-reviewed in the pages of /Film, cited by this author as being a mushy mess, led by two weirdly dispassionate lead performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The review pondered why Chu, who ordinarily can make exciting, energetic musicals like "Step Up 3D" and "In the Heights," decided to let himself be upstaged by busy production design and dull, eternally retreaded fantasy mythology.

My review, however, is certainly the outlier on "Wicked." On January 23, Chu's film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (for Erivo), Best Supporting Actress (for Grande), and Best Production Design. The film was also generally well-reviewed, earning an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 380 reviews). Most importantly, the massive cult of Broadway devotees flocked to see Chu's film version, leading the $150 million blockbuster to rake in over $710 million at the box office. /Film's review might have been negative, but that didn't stop scads of people from seeing it. 

It's certainly worth noting that the "Wicked" musical has already broken multiple Broadway records. As of this writing, it's the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history, trailing only being "Phantom of the Opera," the 1996 revival of "Chicago," and "The Lion King." In terms of grosses, the show is the second highest-earning Broadway show ever, having raked in $1.1 billion to date. Only "The Lion King" has it beaten.

And, because of Chu's film, interest has been sparked anew in the Broadway production. An article by Playbill has noted that in the week of Christmas in 2024, "Wicked" became the first Broadway show ever to gross over $5 million in a single week. It was the highest-grossing week the Great White Way had since 2018, before the pandemic.

The previous record holder was, once again, "The Lion King," which earned $4.3 million back in 2018. Playbill was careful to note, however, that high ticket prices played a major factor in the "Wicked" musical's haul. The average price of a ticket to see "Wicked" on Broadway was $290.61 per person. That's even higher than the $279.00 average for "The Lion King," or the $273.00 for "Hamilton." These ticket prices are way, way up from a few years ago, likely as a response to the hit Broadway took from Covid. 

Fans, however, are willing to pony up the dough on a regular basis, and "Wicked" has been holding strong. The original show won three Tonys and made ultra-stars out of its leading actresses Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth (who both have cameos in Chu's movie). The show has a massive cult of passionate theater kids, and one can hear its more barn-burning numbers at karaoke bars to this day. The movie, then, was an adjunct of the Broadway show's extant popularity, roping in a gigantic fanbase to see their favorite musical in a cinematic medium.

Presumably, those fans then each spent $290 to see their favorite show again. The movie was likely an introduction to "Wicked" for many audience members, and they, now curious (and potentially curious to see how the story ends), also went to see the show as soon as they could. The result is a box office record 21 years after the show opened. 

Chu's film is an extended dramatization of only the first act of "Wicked," leaving audiences on a cliffhanger. Due in theaters on November 21, 2025, is Chu's follow-up, "Wicked: For Good," a dramatization of the show's second act. If the first film earned $700 million and managed to land 10 Oscar nominations, there's every reason to believe that "For Good" will repeat or even surpass that success. 

And then, in the weeks after its opening, Broadway ushers will need to get into their fighting stances.