(Reuters) -"Wicked," the first of two movies based on a beloved Broadway musical, soared into theaters with an estimated $114 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, distributor Universal Pictures said on Sunday.

“Wicked” collected an additional $50.2 million at the international box office, bringing its global tally to $164.2 million. It marks the biggest worldwide opening for a film based on a Broadway show, supplanting Universal’s “Les Miserables” with $103 million in 2012.

Battling a 27 percent decline in domestic ticket sales compared with before the pandemic, studios left no marketing drum unthumped in releasing the movies.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, Wicked is based on the blockbuster Broadway musical and will get a sequel next year. See its opening weekend haul.

"Wicked" and "Gladiator II" are both pretty good films, but if you only have time for one this weekend, see "Wicked."

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s "Wicked" is dominating Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington’s “Gladiator II” this weekend at the domestic box office.

Whatever it hauls in for the weekend, “Wicked” should debut as the highest-opening Broadway adaptation in cinematic history.

Between them, the two very different Thanksgiving tentpoles are capturing almost every adult demo, reminiscent of Barbenheimer.

Wicked” and “Gladiator II” both drew less in Thursday previews than their “Barbenheimer” counterparts, but are still expected to help the fall box office.

Wicked” is pocketing lots of green, with the Universal release coming in on the upper side of projections to head toward the third-biggest domestic opening of the year. Now forecasting a $117 million sum for the weekend,