'Wicked' proves it's just as 'Popular' on big screen as on Broadway

LOS ANGELES -- It's been more than 20 years since the hit musical "Wicked" premiered on Broadway.

Now, its big screen version marked the biggest opening weekend for a movie based on a Broadway production.

"Wicked" topped the box office with a worldwide opening of $164 million. Domestically, the film has earned $114 million so far.

Director Jon M. Chu decided to tackle this high-flying adaptation with a "go big or go home" attitude. He knew he'd have to swing for the fences to bring "Wicked" to the big screen. He hired his "dream team" both in front of and behind the camera - people who shared his big cinematic vision.

"We needed to shoot for the moon," said Chu. "I didn't know if the studio would be down, but in a weird way we all had to jump together. We'll see but we're gonna go for it."

Chu says he knew he was on to something when his stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, first sang together. It was in his living room, with composer Stephen Schwarz at the piano.

"It was the most beautiful... their chemistry was so real, their voices intertwined. The words felt brand new to me," said Chu.

The cast also includes Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero.

The two actors couldn't find enough kind adjectives to say about their director.

"Dear, generous, brilliant, creative," said Goldblum.

"It's one thing to be as kind and patient and generous as he is," said Bailey. "To be able to deal with so many different people in this huge machine, making a film on this scale, to be able to communicate clearly is just like, knockout."

"'Wicked' means so much to me," said Chu. "To flip the story, what does a hero look like? What does a villain look like? Those were important themes that needed to be addressed."

And that meant expanding on one of the musical's biggest numbers - Elphaba's show-stopping anthem, "Defying Gravity."

"This is her ascension," said Chu. "For me it was important that 'Defying Gravity,' Elphaba's story, needed to be filled out more than even in the show. That required more room. We had a lot of fun with it."