Thanks to the tenacity of the Witch of Oz and studio head and NBCUniversal senior executive Donna Langley, Universal has been vindicated.
Over the weekend of November 22-24, director Jon M. Chu’s evil Taking into account the previous record holder, the film’s domestic debut to an estimated $114 million is the highest-grossing ever for a Broadway adaptation, a landslide victory. into the woodsopening price was $31 million, not adjusted for inflation.
Additionally, it is the fourth-highest debuting musical in the country, behind three Disney blockbusters.
It couldn’t be a better outcome for Universal Pictures, which has been decimated by the film from Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper. cat The adaptation failed miserably at the box office in 2019. However, Langley and her team remained steadfast in making two evil movie (Zhu’s sequel premiered a year later).
“and evilUniversal has a blueprint for how to get over $100 million in its opening weekend for this fickle genre, considering how many musicals there are despite having big-name IPs, big-name stars and filmmakers, and solid marketing efforts. But it still failed, which is no small thing. “Lest anyone think this will open the floodgates to a sudden flood of hit musical movies, it’s important to remember that the path to success evil It is well thought out, strategic and nine level planned so it cannot be easily copied.
overseas, evil It also broke the record with a release of $50.2 million in 61 markets, and the global box office reached $164 million, which is also the highest global premiere box office record for a Broadway musical adaptation. Les Misérables It is also the fifth greatest musical of all time.
Below is a breakdown of specific locations evil Rankings on various lists, not adjusted for inflation.
Top 10 Domestic Premieres of Broadway Musical Adaptations in History
evil (2019) — $114 million
into the woods (2014) — $31.1 million
Oh mom! (2008) — $27.8 million
hairspray (2007) — $27.5 million
Les Misérables (2012) — $27.3 million
Anne (2014) — $15.9 million
stone of time (2012) — $14.4 million
jersey boys (2014) — $13.3 million
chicago (2002) — $12.7 million
grease (1998) — $12.7 million
Top ten domestic premiere works suitable for any stage music adaptation
evil (2019) — $114 million
into the woods (2014) — $31.1 million
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion (2006) — $30 million
Oh mom! (2008) — $27.8 million
hairspray (2007) — $27.5 million
Les Misérables (2012) — $27.3 million
About last night (2014) — $25.6 million
Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? (2007) — $21.4 million
Tyler Perry’s “Meet the Browns” (2008) — $20.1 million
birdcage (1996) — $18.3 million
Top five domestic premiere musicals
The Lion King (2019) — $191.8 million
beauty and the beast (2017) — $174.8 million
Frozen 2 (2019) — $130.3 million
evil (2024) — $114 million
*runner up: little mermaid (2023) — $95.6 million
Top five world premiere musicals
lion king (2019) — $446 million
beauty and the beast (2017) — $358 million
Frozen 2 (2019) — $358 million
Aladdin (2019) — $213 million
evil (2024) — $164.2 million
Originally adapted from the best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire, evil Tells the untold story of the witches of Oz, starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. Winnie Holzman, who wrote the stage play, wrote the script for Chu’s film along with Dana Fox. Academy Award-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz brings this musical to the screen.
