John M. Chu's critically acclaimed musical fantasy film, Wicked, was released in 2024 and eventually became the fifth-highest-grossing movie of the year with its $758.8 million global haul (as per Box Office Mojo).
In comparison, the 2025 sequel, Wicked: For Good, has collected $445.6million worldwide and currently ranks as the 13th highest-grossing title of this year. Now, the question is: which one of these films has delivered a higher return compared to its budget? Let's break down the numbers.
Wicked vs. Wicked: For Good - Box Office Comparison
Here's how the two films performed at the global box office, according to Box Office Mojo data:
Wicked - Box Office Summary
- Domestic: $475 million
- International: $283.8 million
- Worldwide: $758.8 million
Wicked: For Good - Box Office Summary
- Domestic: $302.3 million
- International: $143.3 million
- Worldwide: $445.6 million
As the above numbers indicate, the first Wicked film grossed $758.8 million globally, significantly ahead of Wicked: For Good, which currently stands at $445.6 million worldwide. That's a sizable gap of approximately $313.2 million, one that the 2025 sequel is unlikely to close at this stage.
However, raw box office totals don't always tell the full story. To understand how each film performed financially, it's essential to examine its earnings-to-budget ratios.
Here's how the two Wicked films compare when production costs are taken into account.
Wicked vs. Wicked: For Good - Earnings-to-Budget Calculation
According to an earlier report by Variety, both Wicked and Wicked: For Good were produced on an estimated budget of $150 million each. Based on these figures, the first film delivered an impressive earnings-to-budget ratio of approximately 5.1, while the sequel generated returns equal to about 3 times its budget.
This indicates that the original Wicked not only achieved a significantly higher global box office total but also delivered a more efficient earnings-to-budget performance, especially since both installments were made at the same estimated cost.