Sequel Shatters Monday Box Office Records

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Sequel Shatters Monday Box Office Records

Universal Pictures celebrated a remarkable Monday at the North American box office with the release of *Wicked: For Good*. The film garnered $14.7 million from 4,115 theaters, marking the second-best performance for a November Monday. This figure closely trails last year’s *Wicked*, which made $15.77 million on the same day.

Box Office Performance

*Wicked: For Good* was also the top non-holiday Monday of the year, surpassing *Superman*, which earned $12.9 million on July 14. In the overall ranking of Mondays this year, the film stands third, trailing *Lilo & Stitch* and *Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning*.

Overall Earnings

Four-day cumulative earnings: $161.7 million
Comparative advantage: Currently 26% ahead of the original *Wicked*’s earnings at the same time.

The original film ended its domestic run with a total of $474.9 million. Universal hopes that *Wicked: For Good* will maintain a strong hold during the holiday season, similar to last year’s performance.

Thanksgiving Projections

Looking ahead, *Zootopia 2* is expected to dominate the box office during the Thanksgiving holiday, aiming for $125 million over the five-day period. Universal forecasts *Wicked: For Good* will achieve a 5-day total of $118.2 million, while a 3-day total could be around $81.1 million, reflecting a -28% drop from its opening weekend.

Market Trends

Last year’s Thanksgiving box office revenue reached $424.9 million, and this year, analysts predict the numbers might approach $300 million. The performance of *Zootopia 2* compared to last year’s *Moana 2* indicates a shift in audience demographics, with *Zootopia 2* appealing to a wider audience compared to the heavily female-skewed previous releases.

Competition at the Box Office

In second place on Monday, *Now You See: Now You Don’t* from Lionsgate earned approximately $1.2 million from 3,403 theaters. Its total earnings over 11 days sit at $37.9 million, which is a 10% decrease compared to its predecessor, *Now You See Me 2*.

Estimated earnings: $1.2 million
Total earnings to date: $37.9 million

The top 20 movies on Monday collectively earned $20 million, down from $26.7 million during the same period last year. Analysts attribute this decline to the absence of strong male-oriented titles such as *Gladiator II*, which debuted with $5.5 million last year.