Laura Carollo
Research expert covering cinema and film
Musical movies - statistics & facts
In November 2024, the release of “Wicked” brought musicals back into cinemas all over the world. Set in the same world as cult classic “The Wizard of Oz”, the “Wicked” novel was first turned into a live show before transitioning from the Broadway stage to the big screens. By doing so, it became the highest grossing Broadway musical movie adaptation ever not long after its release. Even though only a few musical films make their way to theaters each year, 2024’s movie slate was proof enough that these could become box office gold. Are we on the verge of a new golden age of musical films?
Defying gravity at the box office
In 2024, three of the ten most successful movies worldwide were musical movies. Disney, the studio behind many beloved animated musicals, released not one, but two musical hits - “Moana 2” and “Mufasa: The Lion King”, the first one grossing more than one billion dollars in total. The aforementioned “Wicked”, despite doing well on international markets, was almost twice as successful in the United States and Canada, suggesting a particular domestic interest. The genre is indeed more profitable than ever at the North American box office, and boasts an average box revenue exceeding 25 million U.S. dollars, ranking third after adventure and action movies. Moreover, 2024 was the second highest-grossing year for musical movies domestically since 1996, only bested by 2017.From Broadway to the theaters
The collaboration between Broadway and Hollywood is not new, nor is it a one-way street. Several films turned stage musicals, such as “Mean Girls” or “Legally Blond”, have met public and critical success. However, Broadway productions remain an almost infinite source of inspiration for studios, which are more than ready to bank on their brand recognition and an already-established fan base. While attending a live musical is out of reach for many people, due to their location and price, the theatrical release of these adaptations is the perfect opportunity for viewers to experience these musicals at a lower cost and without having to travel.The new Oscar bait?
On top of generating box office revenue, movie musicals received a lot of recognition during the 2024/2025 award season. Out of the ten movies nominated for Best Picture at the 97th ceremony of the Academy Awards, three were musical movies. Frontrunner “Emilia Pérez” fared well among critics, an enthusiasm that started during Cannes and earned the movie a record-breaking 13 nominations at the Academy Awards, but faded out due to the many controversies surrounding it. Both “Wicked” and “A Complete Unknown”, the Timothée Chalamet-led Bob Dylan biopic, received accolades for their main and supporting acting performances. Over the past years, several artists managed to build the bridge between music and acting, such as Lady Gaga (“A Star is born”), Ariana Grande, Broadway superstar Cynthia Erivo (both for “Wicked”), or Selena Gomez (“Emilia Pérez”) - the first three also receiving Oscar nominations.A new musical era
Almost a century after the golden age of musical movies, the genre has been reinvigorated and is increasingly attracting audiences to theaters. As remakes and musical biopics are paramount, many projects are already on their way. Whilst the sequel “Wicked: For Good” is expected to hit theaters at the end of 2025, biopics centered around The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen were given the green light.Laura Carollo
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Mar 11, 2025
Laura Carollo
Research expert covering cinema and film
