Overview
- Variety projects a $150 million to $180 million domestic opening weekend, while Universal guides to $125 million or more from roughly 4,000 theaters.
- Early reviews characterize the sequel as smaller in scale and more character-focused, with fewer of the stage show’s biggest songs.
- Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are widely credited with giving the film its emotional center and drawing the strongest notices.
- Several critics fault Jon M. Chu’s expansion of Act Two, citing narrative padding, visual excess, and mixed reactions to new Stephen Schwartz songs.
- Industry chatter now turns to legs after opening weekend, with the film following a first installment that reached about £750 million worldwide and a reported $300 million two-part production cost.