Universal’s “Wicked” is kicking off what is expected to be a lucrative holiday season for theaters with $27.7 million grossed on Friday from 3,888 theaters, putting it on course for an estimated $117 million opening weekend. The total is nearly quadrupling the $31 million opening earned 10 years ago by “Into the Woods” to set a new record for a Broadway adaptation.
With $19 million already in the bag from three days of previews, “Wicked” is expected to have massive matinee play from family and female audiences, not just this weekend, but in the weeks to come. That’s even with Disney’s “Moana 2” expected to shatter the Thanksgiving weekend opening record.