The Broadway adaptation Evil will need to make a lot of money to break even, leaving viewers to wonder how big its budget is. Evil spent a long time in development hell. The musical reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz was a huge hit when it debuted in 2003. Loosely adapted from the novel by Gregory Maguire Evilwhich is itself a dark prequel to author Frank L Baum The Wizard of Oz, Evil is a cult phenomenon with a huge following. However, its film adaptation has faced many delays, recasting challenges, and other production issues in the years since its debut.
Now, 2024 Evil is set to be one of November’s biggest releases. Starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a misunderstood heroine who eventually becomes The Wizard of OzThe Wicked Witch of the West, Evil follows the opening half of the musical. Your planned sequel Perverse Part 2 is slated for release in November 2025, but this plan could change if Evil fails to find an audience at the global box office. Like any adaptation, Evil It is a risky investment. Crazy rich Asians director Jon M Chu bet big on the musical, judging by the budget.
Wicked’s budget is reportedly $145 million
Expensive CGI and A-list stars justify Wicked’s big budget
According to Deadline, EvilThe company’s budget is around US$145 million. That’s not overly big considering the musical is marketed as a holiday smash with countless A-list stars. As is Erivo’s Elphaba Evil stars Ariana Grande as the Good Witch Galinda, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard of Oz, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible and Peter Dinklage as the voice of Doctor Dillamond. This star-studded cast couldn’t have come cheap, and EvilThe expensive CGI and sets also undoubtedly account for at least part of its large budget. EvilOz’s vision will be key to its success, and its early trailers have been criticized for their garish CGI.
Wicked will need to double its budget to be considered a box office success.
Since then, the film’s finished visual effects appear to have appeased initially skeptical viewers. However, Evil it will need to be more than acceptable if the film is to make a profit. Thanks to marketing and promotional budgets, Evil It will need to double its budget to be considered a box office success. This means that the adaptation needs to raise more than US$290 million after its release to Perverse Part 2A theatrical release seems like a good idea. That’s entirely possible, but the film will face competition from Gladiator II and the upcoming Diseny sequel, Moana 2.
Wicked’s box office needs to earn at least $290 million to be a success
Theatrical release of Wicked Part 2 depends on the success of Wicked
While Evil may well become a streaming hit later on, the film needs to at least double its budget to be considered a success upon its initial release. This can be tricky, given EvilThe musical’s high price tag, but the star power of its cast and the fame of its songs should help the musical gain a wide audience. Even so, Wicked Part Two may have a harder time winning over viewers a year later. Most of the musical’s best-known hits, such as “Popular” and “Defying Gravity”, appear in its opening act and are therefore already included. Evil before the sequence even begins.
Source: Deadline