When it comes to the magic of propelling Wicked: For Good to the second-highest domestic box office opening of 2025 ($147 million) and the year’s fourth-highest global Hollywood debut($223M), Universal did so with the help of 400-plus original global brand partners worth $330 million in media value and who reached 15 billion impressions.
In terms of worth, that’s the second biggest promotional partner campaign ever for a major studio movie, behind Universal’s own Wicked a year ago ($350M and 25 billion impressions).
Wicked fans love their merchandise, so of course there was an embarrassment of riches when it came to the offerings, many of them collectibles. Brands, both new and returning, shined a light on the sequel’s themes of empowerment, individuality and friendship.
As we reported last year, Universal courted advertisers two years ago with a visit to the Wicked London set where they stepped onto production designer Nathan Crowley’s Emerald City and massive Shiz University sets, in addition to meet-ups with director Jon M. Chu, producer Marc Platt, as well as live performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Universal shot video from that Wicked fair and further used it to enlist other brands in foreign markets.
We hear the Monday box office for Wicked: For Good is expected to be north of $14M (four-day running cume of $161M), the best non-holiday Monday at the box office in 2025 ahead of Superman‘s $12.9M. There’s even a chance that Wicked: For Good could beat the $15M Memorial Day Monday of Paramount’s Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning. According to Comscore, there are 48% of K-12 schools off today in addition to 19% of colleges.
Below is a rundown of new and returning brand partners to the Wicked franchise:
New Brands
New to Wicked: For Good was Dunkin’ Donuts (Wicked had Starbucks last year). Why were they an ideal partner? Because Dunkin’ Donuts has a real Gen Z pull. The coffee donut chain is known for doing low-fi ads that pop on social with a tonal casualness to them. The 13-24 crowd repped close to a third of Wicked: For Good‘s opening weekend. Dunkin’ executed a 360-degree co-branded global campaign that spanned in-store takeovers, out-of-home, digital, social, and influencer moments. There were limited drinks by Elphaba and Glinda, green- and pink-sprinkled Munchkins served in a collectible tin, themed merch, and this spot with Erivo and Jonathan Bailey with Dunkin’s signature humor:
Airbnb invited guests to immerse themselves in the magical and unforgettable world of Wicked: For Good by bringing Elphaba’s retreat to life as a themed experience as well as an overnight stay. Last year, Hilton had a Wicked suite they were offering up at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Pottery Barn debuted two collections inspired by the movie including Elphaba- and Glinda-inspired designs across bedding, decorative accessories, barware and glassware. The upscale furniture chain drew inspiration from Elphaba and Glinda’s dorm room at Shiz University.
With Wicked: For Good, Procter & Gamble had its biggest film promotion in the history of the company, across brands such as Gain, Febreze, Dawn, Secret, Olay Skin, Olay Body, Swiffer, Cascade and Crest. There was also this Secret TV spot starring Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James:
French pastis company Pernod Ricard served up Wicked: For Good-themed cocktails, packaging, in-store displays, in-theater bar overlays, a sweepstakes, and digital pushes at the Peacock Plaza at Crypto.com Arena and Helmsley Walkway in Grand Central Station. They also teamed with Paris Hilton’s 11:11 impact charity with custom cocktail kits.
The largest online Asian supermarket, Weee!, for which Chu is Chief Creative Officer, was part of the fun with digital and social ads, and orders packed in branded pink and green Wicked: For Good boxes along with custom tote bags.
Lush introduced a limited-edition, 10-piece collection for bath, body and skin care including Glinda’s Wedding Dress bath bomb, the Tap to Bubble bubble wand, a Lush Club Yellow Brick Road soap infused with bergamot and grapefruit, and Elphaba’s floral body scrub.
Marks & Spencer in the UK had a Wicked: For Good lineup across kids, home and gifting, including whimsical pajamas, graphic knits, glittering snow globes, collectible tree decorations and gift sets.
Inspired by the characters of the Winnie Holzman-penned franchise, Maxwell & Williams served up a collection of homewares.
Returning Brands
Auto partners are the lynchpin of many feature promo partner pushes, and Lexus is back with a custom spot starring Wicked franchise director Chu; his wife, Kristin; and their daughter Stevie Sky Chu, who was born on the same day as Wicked’s Los Angeles premiere last November. The spot delivered 1000% more views than a typical Lexus ad. Lexus also created a custom LX themed to Wicked: For Good, which offers its drivers and passengers the opportunity to sing karaoke to some of the musical’s most popular songs.
Similar to last year with Wicked, the sequel was all over the Amazon Ecosystem with early Prime member screenings (which minted $6.1M more than last year’s Prime previews of $2.5M), “Oz on Amazon” store with products, branded Alexa theme; Amazon Music content amplification; and Twitch’s “Together for Good Stream-A-Thon,” where community-driven charitable donations unlocked rewards and viewers assisted in shaping unique Wicked-themed content.
Last year’s Wicked had a Delight feature on Google Android phone and Pixel. This year, Android created several content pieces to showcase their product and the sequel. Google Pixel returned with another installment of the widely loved “Best Friends Forever” spot, Wicked: For Good-themed customization packs and Elphabot.
It wouldn’t be Wicked without Lego with a new line of playsets, an integration in a full episode of LEGO Masters and a special shot-for-shot “Brickified” re-creation of Chu’s BTS featurette:
Mattel returned to Oz with a Wicked: For Good collection of full-size fashion dolls (Elphaba and Glinda sing “For Good”), mini figures, and immersive playsets, as well as Dorothy, multipacks like the Oz Story Set and Students of Shiz, and a glittering Emerald City Playset with five modular spaces and 15 accessories. There was also a Polly Pocket-themed Wicked set of Shiz University and Emerald City.
If you’re shopping Wicked, then you’re heading to Target, which is one of the main hubs for Wicked swag with close to 200 products including limited-edition vinyl records, home decor, apparel, books and toys and the Wicked: For Good Katie Kime collection.
Also back are r.e.m. Beauty with two Ariana Grande fragrances, a second collection from Sophia Webster, more Voluspa scents including Glinda’s Cherry Blossom Bubble and Elphaba’s Palo Santo Spells, the Cambridge Satchel Company and General Mills which brought back Betty Crocker Wicked fare as well as Pillsbury in a reach of 150M impressions. Other returning brands include (but are not limited to): Little People, The Noble Collection, Squishmallows, Build-A-Bear, Funko, Disguise, Jakks Pacific, Insight Editions, Random House, HarperCollins, Gap, Lingua Franca, Roots, Modern Moments, Loungefly and Conair.
