‘Wicked: For Good’ flies to the top of the box office

Elphaba and Glenda at least turned the box office this weekend.

“Wicked: For Good” — the conclusion to Universal Pictures’ two-part film franchise — is estimated to have grossed $150 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend, marking the second-highest domestic opening of the year, behind only the blockbuster hit “A Minecraft Movie.” Internationally, the film grossed around $226 million.

The opening weekend audience for “Wicked: For Good” drew even more women (69%) than the first film, which counted 61% of its audience as women, according to data from Ant-Intelligence.

Lionsgate’s “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” came in a distant second at the domestic box office with $9.1 million. The third installment of the illusionist franchise has now brought in a total of $36.8 million in the US and Canada and $146.2 million worldwide through its two weeks.

Disney’s 20th Century Studios’ “Predator: Badlands,” Paramount Pictures’ “The Running Man” and “Rental Family” were the top five picks this weekend.

The Cynthia Ario and Ariana Grande-led film was bolstered by a major marketing push that began early last year ahead of the first “Wicked” film. Although the films are based on the hit Broadway play, Universal wanted to expand awareness of the story to markets less exposed to theatrical performances.

As a result, the franchise has partnered with more than 100 brands, including toy companies such as Lego and Mattel, as well as more unlikely companies such as household goods giant P&G and online Asian supermarket Weee!, where chairman John M. Cho serves as chief creative officer.

The film’s first week success also points to the demand for female-centric franchises.

After 2023’s “Barbie” raked in $1.4 billion at the global box office, there were countless calls for more films starring women. But this year, most of the big-budget films were male, and the meager returns at the box office have raised questions about whether the films are reaching all possible demographics.

“Women remain a really compelling audience,” said Sean Robbins, director of film analytics at Fandango and founder of the website Box Office Theory. “In terms of big blockbusters, it’s been a while since there’s been a female skating movie on the scale of ‘Wicked’ or ‘Lilo and Stitch.’