This Weekend’s Monday Morning Hangover Report is Wicked Good
What a weekend for the Land of Oz… Welcome to the Monday Morning Hangover Report, where we look at who came out of the box office this weekend feeling good and who has a hangover…
Opening Pour
This weekend the multiplex lit up like a Broadway marquee — and then some. The musical juggernaut Wicked: For Good soared in with a massive $150 million debut, reclaiming big-weekend box office dominance for the first time since the summer. Meanwhile the rest of the field trickled in beneath it, reminding us once again that when an event release hits, it hits hard. Let’s dive into the heat-map of what happened at the box office.
Top 5 Domestic Films – Weekend of Nov 21–23, 2025
-
Wicked: For Good — $150,000,000 debut.
-
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t — $9,120,000 (-57%) hold-over.
-
Predator: Badlands — $6,250,000 (-51%) in its third weekend.
-
The Running Man — $5,800,000 (-65%) second weekend.
-
Rental Family — Debuted at $3,300,000.
Highlights & Insights
-
Musical Mania Returns: Wicked: For Good didn’t just open this weekend, it roared in breaking records. A $150m haul puts it in rare air for musicals and event releases.
-
Big Gap Between #1 and the Field: The second place film earned just over $9m, a stark reminder that when one title dominates, the rest retreat into its shadow.
-
Hold-overs Wobble: Predator: Badlands and The Running Man both fell significantly week-to-week, underscoring how fast theatergoing momentum can fade.
-
Smaller Debut, Big Opportunity: Rental Family’s modest $3.3m debut may not headline charts (certain for an Oscar bait film like this) but in a weekend of top-heavy numbers it gets room to breathe and grow.
-
Holiday Box Office Activation: With Thanksgiving around the corner, studios clearly timed this release to capture family audiences and event bookings, moving from “just a movie” to “must see this weekend.”
What’s Next – Thanksgiving Weekend Is About to Explode
Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the biggest box office corridors of the year, and this one is shaping up to be a monster. Wicked: For Good is perfectly positioned to dominate the extended holiday stretch, but it won’t be alone at the table. Disney’s long-awaited animated sequel Zootopia 2 is set to stampede into theaters midweek, drawing in families who’ve been starving for a major animated event. Expect enormous matinee crowds and repeat viewings.
Meanwhile, the adult-skewing dramas start to muscle in: prestige titles are expanding nationwide ahead of awards season, giving counterprogramming legs for moviegoers who want something a little richer than green witches and talking animals. Horror genre fans get a treat too: The Strangers: Chapter 2 and several high-profile limited horror releases will try to capitalize on the lingering fall-season appetite for thrills.
Add in early access screenings, Black Friday ticket promotions, and the usual Thanksgiving tradition of “just put us somewhere dark and quiet,” and we’re looking at a holiday frame that will almost certainly become one of the year’s most financially stacked weekends. Wicked will lead, Zootopia 2 will charge behind it, and everything else is fighting for scraps — but those scraps will be bigger than most full meals.
Final Pour
This weekend the box office reminded us what event cinema still looks like; bold, buzzy, and built to dominate. Wicked: For Good claimed the spotlight, and the rest of the field had to settle for second acts and supporting roles. As theaters gear up for Thanksgiving and the holiday blitz, this is your moment to brace yourself for what’s next. Pour a rich cocktail, dim the lights, and get ready. 🍸🍿
