The extraordinary promotional juggernaut for Wicked: For Good, Jon M Chu’s sequel to the 2024 first instalment of his Broadway adaptation, appears to have paid off, with the film this weekend smashing box office records held by its predecessor.

Its global total at the end of the weekend stands at $226m, considerably up on the $164.2m earned by its predecessor. The major change was in the domestic takings: while last year’s film took more than double its initial take in the US – $114m to $50.2m overseas – this concluding instalment has corrected that overindexing, with $76m banked from international territories.

Nonetheless, the US total of $150m from 4,115 North American cinemas sets a new record for Broadway adaptations, previously held by the first film, and means it ranks as the second biggest US opening of the year, below A Minecraft Movie ($162m) and above Lilo & Stitch ($146m).

The global numbers make it the biggest international opening for a stage musical adaptation, again beating last year’s Wicked.

UK figures are still to be confirmed, but Vue cinemas is reporting it enjoyed the biggest opening weekend since 2023’s Barbie, and that it outperformed its predecessor by around 30%.

Awards buzz has built for the performances of its two stars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who look set to break another record next year, if they are Oscar-nominated in the same roles over two consecutive years.

Grande contracted Covid towards the end of the world tour to promote the sequel, cutting short her activities. At the red carpet premiere in Singapore earlier this month, Grande was grabbed by an Australian vlogger who leapt over the barriers. Erivo came to her immediate aid and the man was arrested and sentenced to nine days in jail.

It was reported this morning that he has also been permanently banned from entering Singapore.