‘Wicked’ soars to $114 million weekend box office

(Reuters) -“Wicked,” the first of two movies based on a beloved Broadway musical, soared into theaters with an estimated $114 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, distributor Universal Pictures said on Sunday.

“Wicked” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the story of how a misunderstood, green-skinned student of magic becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.

Based on a Broadway prequel to “The Wizard of Oz”, the movie pulled in $114 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters, plus $50.2 million in international markets, for an estimated global total of $164.2 million.

Universal said “Wicked” had the biggest opening weekend for a film based on a Broadway musical, ahead of the global debut of “Les Miserables”.