Part 6/13:
- Financial Motivation: Despite the first Wicked film making a substantial $700 million, the profit margins were tight considering escalating marketing and production costs. The sequel, with an estimated budget around $90-100 million, needs to break roughly $700 million worldwide to be profitable. With international box office underperforming compared to domestic, the economic incentive for a Wicked 3 diminishes unless domestic numbers hold strong.