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LOS ANGELES: \u201cWicked: For Good\u201d brought in $150 million in the U.S. and Canada in its opening weekend, setting a record for a film adaptation of a Broadway musical and ranking among the best-performing movie musicals of all time, according to the studio.<\/strong><\/p>\n The second half of the big-screen adaptation of \u201cWicked,\u201d which reunites Cynthia Erivo\u2019s Elphaba with Ariana Grande\u2019s Glinda, posted the third-best domestic opening weekend for a musical ever, behind Disney\u2019s 2019 photorealistic, computer-generated version of \u201cThe Lion King\u201d and its 2017 remake of \u201cBeauty and the Beast,\u201d according to Universal Pictures and Comscore\u2019s box office tallies.<\/p>\n \u201cWicked: For Good\u201d also helped lift a moribund North American box office from a nine-week slump, where total ticket sales failed to reach $100 million, according to Comscore.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s absolutely tremendous to see all the hard work that our filmmakers, Marc Platt and Jon Chu, and our extraordinary cast of Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey, put in for years, and to see it pay off so handsomely is just beyond satisfying,\u201d said Jim Orr, Universal\u2019s president of domestic theatrical distribution.<\/p>\n Musicals don\u2019t always appeal to moviegoers. Examples of modestly performing film adaptations of Broadway hits like \u201cDear Evan Hansen\u201d and \u201cIn the Heights\u201d outnumber cinematic blockbusters like the movie version of the ABBA musical, \u201cMamma Mia!\u201d<\/p>\n The risky nature of stage-to-screen adaptations made industry analyst Daniel Loria initially question Universal\u2019s decision to break the musical Wicked into two films.<\/p>\n \u201cMost other studios would have made this one movie,\u201d said Loria, senior vice president of content strategy for the Boxoffice Company, which provides data services for the industry. \u201cThe fact that you can squeeze out two blockbusters from the same IP, that\u2019s a fantastic feat.\u201d<\/p>\n Industry insiders credit the enduring appeal of the long-running Broadway musical, director Jon Chu\u2019s inspired casting, and an aggressive marketing campaign for \u201cWicked\u2019s\u201d success.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s something about it that resonates, particularly with younger viewers,\u201d said Comscore\u2019s box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian. \u201c\u2018Wicked\u2019 is to the younger generation what \u2018The Sound of Music\u2019 was to an older generation.\u201d<\/p>\n Critical response to the movie was uneven, with New Yorker critic Justin Chang writing that \u201ctoo much of \u2018Wicked: For Good\u2019 plays like \u201cOz the World Turns.\u201d<\/p>\n Audiences reacted enthusiastically to the film, which earned an A grade from CinemaScore, which polls moviegoers for their reaction, and a 95% fresh rating on the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes.<\/p>\n Universal\u2019s Orr said \u201cWicked: For Good\u201d played well in Salt Lake City, Utah, which signals its appeal to families.<\/p>\n In addition to topping the North American box office, \u201cWicked: For Good\u201d brought in an additional $76 million in 78 countries outside of the U.S. and Canada for a total estimated opening weekend tally of $226 million.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nRISKY TWO-FILM GAMBLE<\/strong><\/h2>\n