It is fair to say that one movie genre that has often struggled at the box office more than any other is the musical – specifically, musical movies based on popular Broadway shows. Movies such as Cats and Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story are two examples of musical movies that have failed to capitalize on the genre, although for very different reasons – Cats was just an abomination that should never have been made, and we will leave it at that. However, Jon M. Chu’s Wicked bucked that trend with its $756 million worldwide haul, and now Wicked: For Good is already breaking records.
According to Deadline, Wicked: For Good has shattered the 2025 record for the highest volume of first-day presale ticket purchases. With tickets having become available earlier in the week, the total sales in the first 24 hours surpassed other juggernauts of the year like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, and Superman.
This puts the second Wicked movie into Fandango’s Top 10 of the best ever first-day ticket presales, where it now sits alongside the likes of Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Frozen and The Lion King. It is also now the holder of the title for the highest volume of first-day ticket sales for a PG movie ever. Not bad considering there was a real belief that the first movie could potentially have flopped when it opened in November last year. However, the huge success of Wicked: Part One only served to set up this even bigger demand for the sequel.
“With last year’s Wicked breaking records and captivating audiences around the world, it is no surprise that fans are racing to get their tickets to Wicked: For Good,” said Jerramy Hainline, EVP of Fandango. “The first film became a true cultural phenomenon bringing new generations into the world of Wicked, and it’s clear that fans can’t wait to see how the story continues on the big screen.”
‘Wicked: For Good’ Can Surpass Its Predecessor
Splitting a movie into two parts can always be a double-edged sword. If the first movie flops or disappoints in any way – in the way that Fast X, Horizon: Chapter 1, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning did – then releasing the follow-up can be tricky. If Wicked: Part One had tanked on its theatrical debut, then the chances of the second movie faring any better would have been incredibly slim.
Instead, Wicked defied gravity (sorry, not sorry) and soared to become the highest grossing movie based on a Broadway stage show ever. Now, Wicked: For Good is poised to not only match the original movie, but surpass it. Those who didn’t see the first movie in cinemas have now had the chance to catch it on VOD or streaming, and that could send even more people into theaters to see the concluding chapter on the big screen, with big speakers to deliver the full impact of its soaring musical score and songs.
Wicked: For Good is released on November 26, 2025.
- Release Date
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November 21, 2025
- Writers
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Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire
- Producers
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Marc Platt