An edited image of Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in Wicked and Margot Robbie in Barbie. In the lead-up to the releases of Wicked and Gladiator II, their simultaneous theatrical debut was referred to as “Glicked,” which is reminiscent of 2023’s “Barbenheimer” event. In 2023, “Barbenheimer” took over the world, as both Barbie and Oppenheimer found massive success at the box office. Upon the release of Wicked, many have compared the new musical to Barbie. Both Wicked and Barbie are female-driven, big-budget IP movies with musical elements that opened against more male-driven films (Oppenheimer and Gladiator II) and performed very well at the box office.

Wicked is based on the critically-acclaimed Broadway musical of the same name, so it was expected to be a very popular movie, but Wicked‘s box office has outperformed expectations. The story of Wicked follows Elphaba and Glinda, portrayed by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera, as they form an unlikely friendship at Shiz University in the world of Oz. In addition to Erivo and Grande-Butera, the cast of Wicked includes Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum.

Wicked’s Opening Weekend Box Office Compared To Barbie’s

Wicked Made Significantly Less Than Barbie In Its Opening Weekend

Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba with an expression of fear and concern in Wicked Glinda (Ariana Grande) wearing a pink dress and holding up a pointed black in Wicked Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba using her magic in Wicked. Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero with his head cocked in Wicked Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Marissa Bode as Nessa, holding hands in Wicked Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba with an expression of fear and concern in Wicked Glinda (Ariana Grande) wearing a pink dress and holding up a pointed black in Wicked Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba using her magic in Wicked. Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero with his head cocked in Wicked Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Marissa Bode as Nessa, holding hands in Wicked

Wicked had the third-biggest opening weekend of 2024, only being beaten by Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine. In its opening weekend, Wicked grossed $114 million at the domestic box office and just over $50 million in international markets (via Variety). Therefore, Wicked had a total opening weekend gross of $164 million. With this release, Wicked actually had the highest-grossing global debut of a Broadway adaptation, beating 2012’s Les Misérables, which made $103 million in its opening weekend.

Wicked Opening Weekend Box Office
Barbie Opening Weekend Box Office

$114 million (domestic)
$162 million (domestic)

$50 million (international)
$194 million (international)

$164 million (worldwide total)
$356 million (worldwide total)

However, Wicked was not able to top Barbie’s opening weekend haul. While Wicked has been a massively popular film, “Glicked” definitely did not live up to the hype of “Barbenheimer,” and this is evident in Barbie’s record-breaking opening weekend box office. In its opening weekend, Barbie made $162 million domestically and $194 million internationally, making for a total gross of over $356 million at the worldwide box office (via Deadline). Therefore, Barbie made more than double what Wicked earned during its opening weekend.

Wicked Should Have Great Legs At The Box Office Like Barbie Did

Wicked Is Already A Box Office Success

Margot Robbie as Barbie standing in Barbie box while smiling Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) posing in front of Sasha and her friends in the school cafeteria in Barbie Margot Robbie waves while wearing a pink hat in Barbie Margot Robbie in the tiny pink car in Barbie Margot Robbie as Barbie smiling widely in Barbie Margot Robbie as Barbie standing in Barbie box while smiling Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) posing in front of Sasha and her friends in the school cafeteria in Barbie Margot Robbie waves while wearing a pink hat in Barbie Margot Robbie in the tiny pink car in Barbie Margot Robbie as Barbie smiling widely in Barbie

Wicked is not a failure by any means, however. A $164 million opening weekend is still extremely impressive and is a number that most filmmakers can only dream of reaching with their movies. There are several notable movies playing in theaters at the moment. In addition to Wicked and Gladiator II, Disney’s Moana 2 was just released and is bringing even more people to theaters, including families. Together, the three films made for a $422 million Thanksgiving weekend at the box office, which is the biggest Thanksgiving box office haul of all time.

Wicked may also be one of the most talked-about films leading up to the 2025 Academy Awards, which will further convince more people to see the movie.

In addition to breaking numerous records, reviews for Wicked have also been exceptional. Positive word of mouth drew a lot of people to theaters to see Barbie since it was widely regarded as a can’t-miss film. Currently, Wicked has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 89%, which is actually higher than Barbie’s score, which is 88%. Therefore, the hype around Wicked likely won’t die down in the coming weeks. Wicked may also be one of the most talked-about films leading up to the 2025 Academy Awards, which will further convince more people to see the movie.

Will Wicked Catch Barbie At The Box Office?

It Is Very Unlikely Wicked Will Make As Much As Barbie

Galinda and Elphaba looking at themselves in the mirror, Galinda leaning on Elphaba, in Wicked Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) look at each other with concern in Wicked . Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) looking at something in surprise in Wicked Glinda (Ariana Grande) tenderly leans on Elphaba's (Cynthia Erivo) shoulder in Wicked Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) looking at themselves in the mirror in Wicked Galinda and Elphaba looking at themselves in the mirror, Galinda leaning on Elphaba, in Wicked Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) look at each other with concern in Wicked . Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) looking at something in surprise in Wicked Glinda (Ariana Grande) tenderly leans on Elphaba's (Cynthia Erivo) shoulder in Wicked Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) looking at themselves in the mirror in Wicked

In total, Barbie grossed over $1.4 billion at the global box office (via Box Office Mojo). Wicked earned less than half of what Barbie made during its opening weekend, and it is trailing it in its second week, as well, so it is highly unlikely that The Wizard of Oz prequel will make as much as Barbie at the box office. Additionally, Barbie led the box office for numerous weeks in the summer of 2023, whereas Wicked was already dethroned by Moana 2 in its second week. While Wicked could reclaim the top spot, it is clearly not repeating the same level of success as Barbie.

Based on the current projections and how it has performed so far, Wicked may not even reach the $1 billion milestone at the box office. More than likely, Wicked will earn a total of $700-800 million throughout its theatrical run, so about half of what Barbie made. This is still a box office performance worth celebrating for a movie, and it all but confirms that 2025’s Wicked Part Two will also be a massive success.