• by Wayne Friedman , Today

Theatrical movie business got a much-needed boost with Universal Studios' “Wicked: For Good” sequel conjuring up a massive $150 million in its pre-Thanksgiving weekend, according to Comscore.

It is the second-biggest domestic opening movie of the year so far -- behind Warner Bros.' “A Minecraft Movie” at $162.7 million.

The movie landed with better-than-expected box-office results, with a strong Rotten Tomatoes score of 95 and an "A" Cinemascore.

It beat last year’s $112.5 million "Wicked" North American U.S. and Canada opening. The two films were shot at the same time.

Globally, the new versions topped $226 million, with the addition of $76 million in box-office receipts.

It is the biggest Broadway adaptation ever and the third-strongest for any musical.

“The Lion King” (2019) is the strongest musical-to-movie result, at $191.7 million. “Beauty and the Beast” (2017) is next at $174.8 million.

National TV advertising spend for “Wicked: For Good" is estimated at $20.1 million -- from 3,860 airings producing 2.4 billion impressions, according to EDO Ad EnGage.

Major program spending came from sports TV content -- NFL football, college football, NBA basketball, and MLB’s World Series.

Top entertainment shows that are airing new seasons or episodes around the holiday season include Bravo’s “The Real Housewives” shows, “Vanderpump Rules,” ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” and NBC’s “The Voice.”

Big films for the holiday season that have yet to open include Walt Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” which has already spent $12.4 million on TV, per EDO Ad EnGage. It opens November 26.

Other holiday movies opening this season that are expected to be strong performers include 20th Century Studios’ “Avatar: Fire and Ash” (December 19); Netflix’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” (December 12); Paramount’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants” (December 19).