'Wicked' is "very popular" - on the big screen, and now on video on demand. In a rare display of transparency about earnings on the circuit, Universal reported that the high-budget musical grossed $26 million on its first day and $70 million in its first week of digital distribution in the U.S. and Canada.
'Wicked' debuts Dec. 31 for home entertainment for $30 to purchase and $20 to rent the original or sing-along version of the film, Variety reports.
According to the studio, the Broadway adaptation brought in the biggest first-day and opening-week sales for any Universal title. By comparison, the studio's second-biggest video-on-demand (VOD) launch is 2023's Super Mario Bros. with $44 million from its first week of digital rentals and sales.
And Universal expects the Oz-related wealth to increase: 'Wicked' still has more than two months of exclusivity on home entertainment platforms before the song-and-dance extravaganza is available on Peacock, the streaming service owned by parent company NBCUniversal.
Then there's 'Wicked: Forever', which chronicles the show's second run on Broadway and began airing in theaters a year after the original, on Nov. 21.
'Wicked: Part One' has already generated $682 million at the worldwide box office since it opened in theaters on November 22. While box office reporting is commonplace, downstream revenue, such as premium VOD, is rarely made public - or made in an aggressive manner. | BGNES
