Wicked has the biggest box-office opening ever for a musical adaptation

Even as the year winds down to an end, the box office is still doing quite well. Wicked made its debut this past weekend, and managed to score $164 million at the global box office so far, making it the biggest opening for a musical adaptation.

The film follows two witches as they make fast friends in the world of The Wizard of Oz. While this is only the first half of the musical's original story, the film's promoters have been rather quiet on that front, ensuring that people don't get put off thinking they have to wait to get the full story.

Elsewhere in the box office, Gladiator 2 breaks $200 million, working closer towards breaking even. The budget for Ridley Scott's epic was set to be around $210 million, so it's likely the studio is hoping for around double the current box office to get it even close to the green.

Also, while we're here, we may as well take a gander at Red One, which currently sits at $117 million worldwide. With Wicked and Gladiator 2 seeming like better times at the cinema, there's not much space for a Christmas movie in November.