It's official: Wicked is now the highest-grossing live-action movie of all time featuring an out LGBTQ+ lead actor through its casting of Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp — a historic box office record that's just been broken by a Black queer performer as the protagonist of the 2024 musical film.
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As of Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, Wicked has grossed over $424 million in domestic box office sales, making it the 36th highest-grossing movie of all time in domestic markets (via Box Office Mojo).
The only film above Wicked to feature an out LGBTQ+ lead is Finding Dory, a 2016 animated sequel from Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures centered on the titular character voiced by out comedian Ellen DeGeneres. Trailing behind Wicked is Moana 2, another Disney animated sequel that also has an LGBTQ+ lead (Auliʻi Cravalho) voicing the titular character.
As a non-sequel, live-action feature film, 2024's Wicked can officially celebrate this historic milestone not only for the film industry in general, but also as a gravity-defying leap forward for LGBTQ+ representation, as well as Black talent, getting more opportunities in lead roles of mainstream projects.
Box Office Mojo by IMDb Pro
While the historic nature of this milestone has to do with Erivo's lead role in this live-action film, one would be remiss not to mention how incredibly queer-inclusive the overall cast of Wicked was — with performers like Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero Tigelaar), Marissa Bode (Nessarose Thropp), and Bowen Yang (Pfannee) all identifying as out queer actors and bringing their talents to this cinematic triumph.
Erivo was recently named the 2024 Out100 Icon of the Year, and her queer costars from Wicked also appeared as honorees on the same list.
As the film continues to play in theaters and starts its VOD rollout, Wicked is a critically acclaimed project that achieved commercial success while also breaking box office records and making progress for LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream media. A truly unlimited phenomenon.
Wicked is still playing in theaters — and it's also available for digital purchases or rentals on all digital stores and marketplaces. Wicked: For Good is scheduled to premiere on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025.
