Ariana Grande’s 'Wicked: For Good' opens weakly in India with just Rs 25 lakh collection

Jon M. Chu’s highly anticipated musical fantasy Wicked: For Good, starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, and Michelle Yeoh, has opened to a surprisingly soft response at the Indian box office. Despite enormous global buzz, the film has managed to collect only Rs 25 lakh on its opening day in India, an underwhelming figure considering the scale, cast, and franchise popularity.

In contrast, the action-revenge thriller Sisu: Road to Revenge, headlined by Stephen Lang, Jorma Tommila, and Richard Brake, has performed significantly better. The film earned Rs 50 lakh, effectively doubling the opening of Wicked: For Good and emerging as the preferred choice among Indian moviegoers on Friday. The stark contrast highlights India’s current audience preference for high-octane action over fantasy musicals, even those backed by major Hollywood names.




However, while India’s performance is muted, the picture is completely different in the United States where Wicked: For Good is poised to deliver a historic box office debut. According to Deadline’s estimates, the film is eyeing a USD 68.5 million Day 1 (including USD 30.8M from Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday previews) and a massive USD 150 million opening weekend across 4,115 theaters. If these numbers hold, the Jon M. Chu sequel is on track to break or approach multiple records.

At the $150M weekend level, Wicked: For Good would:

Achieve the second-highest-grossing opening weekend of 2025 domestically—ahead of Lilo & Stitch ($146M) and behind only A Minecraft Movie ($162.7M).

Score the biggest opening weekend ever for a Broadway adaptation, surpassing Wicked (2024)’s $112.5M.

Mark the second-highest opening for a Universal Pictures release, behind only Jurassic World (2015)’s $208.8M.

Become the second-highest pre-Thanksgiving opening, trailing only The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($158M).

Register the third-biggest musical opening in U.S. history, behind The Lion King (2019) and Beauty and the Beast (2017), and ahead of Moana 2’s $139.7M Fri–Sun debut.

Thus, while Wicked: For Good is struggling in India, its global trajectory especially in North America remains nothing short of phenomenal. The contrast between India and the U.S. underscores how genre preferences shape box office fortunes, even for films with massive international visibility.

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