Universal’s Wicked achieved strong domestic box office success, setting records as the largest 2024 opening for a non-sequel film. It also reached key milestones for a Broadway musical adaptation. The film performed well globally,

The pair of films did huge business as Thanksgiving gets underway in the United States. Globally, the movies have earned $162.5 million and $220.5 million, respectively.

Following a sluggish year at the box office, “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” opened this weekend with combined earnings of $270 million internationally, providing the box office with much-needed rejuvenation as the busiest moviegoing weekend of the year, per Box Office Mojo.

Battling a 27 percent decline in domestic ticket sales compared with before the pandemic, studios left no marketing drum unthumped in releasing the movies.

The two new blockbuster releases proved to be popular, with big returns that will echo in eternity. ‘Wicked’ in particular broke records on its release.

The biggest U.S. opening weekend of the year is still Deadpool & Wolverine, which opened to $211 million at the domestic box office, followed by Inside Out 2 with $155 million, but Wicked managed to scoot past Beetlejuice Beetlejuice at $111 million.

Earlier this year, all indications pointed to Gladiator II being fall’s must-see movie. Here’s how the Roman combat epic lost its advantage.

In case all this box office success isn’t exciting enough for you, this won’t be the end of Black actors dominating the box office, because Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reprises his role as the voice of Maui in the animated sequel “Moana 2,” which hits theaters Wednesday.

"Wicked" earned an estimated $114 million in North American movie theaters its opening week, and $164.2 million globally, making it the No. 1 film at the U.S. box office and the highest-earning Broadway-to-screen adaptation debut yet.

With a combined $270 million in worldwide ticket sales, “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” breathed fresh life into a box office that has struggled lately.