Wicked confirmed as highest grossing film on UK shores in 2024

Wicked set a number of box office records last year, but has officially emerged with a major accolade.

Overall, the film made £59.6 million on UK shores, making up around six per cent of the overall annual box office. This places it as the highest grossing film of 2024.

Animated sequel Inside Out 2 came in a very close second with £59.5 million.

Based on the hit novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, Wicked tells the story of two unlikely university friends in the land of Oz, one destined to become Glinda the Good and the other, the Wicked Witch of the West. Wicked writers Winnie Holzman (book) and Stephen Schwartz (score) collaborated on the screenplay with Dana Fox.

Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba), Ariana Grande (Glinda) and Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero) lead the adaptation, alongside Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Tony nominee Ethan Slater as Boq, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz, and Peter Dinklage as Dr Dillamond. Jon M Chu directs the two-part property.

The film received glowing reviews, including from WhatsOnStage. It also picked up a raft of Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture and for its two leading stars.

The news bodes well for the second part of the adaptation, which soars into cinemas in November.