Universal’s “Wicked” is officially the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation in global box office history, overtaking 2008’s “Mamma Mia” to notch the harmonious milestone.
“Wicked” has generated $634 million worldwide after six weeks of release while “Mamma Mia” amassed $611 million (not adjusted for inflation) by the end of its box office run. “Wicked,” starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, has earned $424 million domestically and, weeks ago, surpassed 1978’s “Grease” ($188.62 million) as the biggest Broadway adaptation at the domestic box office. These benchmarks are good news for Universal since the second half of the big-budget musical, “Wicked: For Good,” opens in 2025. This record is also notable because it bucks the recent trend of underseen stage-to-screen remakes, including 2023’s “The Color Purple” and 2021’s “West Side Story,” “Dear Evan Hansen” and “In the Heights.”
Meanwhile, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” cemented a franchise record with $74 million in its international box office debut, the largest overseas opening in the family friendly series. This number has been slightly inflated to include preview screenings. However, the three-day figure still towers above 2022’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” which launched with $33 million from abroad markets. The third “Sonic” enjoyed the biggest start in the United Kingdom with $15.1 million, followed by Mexico with $10.3 million and France with $7.3 million. The film opens in 10 additional territories, including Korea, Brazil, and Italy, next weekend. “Sonic 3” opened nine days earlier in North America, where the animated adventure has generated $137 million to date for a global tally of $211 million.
Also new to international screens, “Nosferatu” collected $3 million from just five markets. The R-rated gothic tale, directed by Robert Eggers and starring Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok, will continue its overseas rollout in the new year. At the domestic box office, “Nosferatu” landed $21.1 million over the traditional weekend and $40.3 million over its first five days of release. Focus Features is releasing the film in North America while its parent company Universal is handling the distribution overseas.
Despite the newcomers, Disney’s “Mufasa” towered over international box office charts with $77.1 million from 52 material territories. The “Lion King” prequel seems to be rebounding after a rough start with ticket sales at $214 million internationally and $328 million globally to date.
Another Disney holdover, “Moana 2,” collected $36 million overseas over the weekend, bringing its international tally to $487.8 million. The animated adventure about a Polynesian wayfinder has amassed $882 million globally and is readying to swim past the $900 million mark. The “Moana” sequel adds to Disney’s impressive year, bolstered by the billion-dollar box office successes of “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
