Blockbuster Wicked lands largest opening weekend of 2024 at Vue

Blockbuster Wicked has landed the largest opening weekend of 2024 at Vue International.

The film, starring Oscar-nominated actress Cynthia Erivo and Grammy-winning pop star Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, surpassed both Gladiator II and Paddington In Peru.

It has also had the largest opening weekend for a stage musical adaptation in the cinema chain's history.

A boss for Vue International said it had seen a "sea of pink and green" over the weekend.

Released on Friday, Wicked is up 60% on Les Miserables' opening weekend in 2012 and three times larger than the 2022 film adaptation of Matilda.

Founder and chief executive of Vue International Tim Richards said: "Vue has seen a sea of pink and green over the opening weekend of Wicked, which has shown continued high demand for the big screen experience.

"We saw record-breaking pre-sales for Wicked, followed by a chart-topping opening weekend - the biggest for 2024."

The film is the first of two parts, with the second expected in November next year.

Wicked and Gladiator II - known together as Glicked - have reportedly failed to beat out Barbenheimer, Barbie and Oppenheimer, in its own opening weekend last summer.

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Glicked brought in £215m in worldwide ticket sales - with Wicked making the majority of that.

(c) Sky News 2024: Blockbuster Wicked lands largest opening weekend of 2024 at Vue