Overview
- Universal estimates $150 million in North America and $226 million globally for opening weekend, topping the franchise’s first film and marking the year’s No. 2 debut behind A Minecraft Movie.
- The launch set a new record for a Broadway adaptation, with IMAX contributing $15.5 million (11% of domestic grosses) and exit polls showing a female-skewing turnout of about 71% and high recommendation intent.
- Directed by Jon M. Chu and led by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the film adds two Stephen Schwartz originals—No Place Like Home and The Girl in the Bubble—alongside the musical’s signature numbers.
- Bethany Weaver is credited as Dorothy, whose face is largely kept offscreen in a deliberate nod to the stage show’s tradition and to preserve the character’s iconic image.
- VFX supervisor Pablo Helman reports roughly 1,800 visual-effects shots executed by about 1,000 artists worldwide, with all on-screen animals created digitally and work completed shortly before release.