How Universal’s Gamble to Make Two Films Paid Off at Box Office

Wicked: How Universal's Gamble to Make Two Films Paid Off at Box Office Wicked: How Universal's Gamble to Make Two Films Paid Off at Box Office Plus Icon Film Scarlett Johansson to Star in New ‘Exorcist’ Movie 1 hour ago Will ‘Zootopia 2,’ ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ and Other Holiday Hopefuls Salvage the 2025 Box Office? 6 hours ago George Clooney to Receive Film at Lincoln Center’s Chaplin Award 8 hours ago More than a few eyebrows were raised around Hollywood when Universal decided to turn “Wicked” into two separate films. Yes, the stage show has been a sensation on Broadway for decades. But it’s a risk to split any movie in half and count on audiences to return a year or more later for the conclusion. Musicals are already a polarizing genre, and in this case, Universal needed to turn two (!) of them into blockbusters to justify the expensive gamble. After all, the studio spent a combined $300 million on production and roughly $250 million on marketing for 2024’s “Wicked” and the follow-up, “Wicked: For Good.” Related Stories Cher, Lindsay Lohan and Marilyn Monroe to Be Featured in Journalist Scott Huver’s Second ‘Beverly Hills Noir’ True-Crime Book (EXCLUSIVE) Chappell Roan Lauds Cyndi Lauper at Rock Hall Induction for 'Showing Us You Can Be Bold, Quirky, Loud, Glamorous and…

Published: November 24, 2025 3:30 pm

Source: Variety — Read original