Commercial Performance
Critically, it was clear to see that Chicago was a smash hit. It was receiving one good review after another, and perhaps all of those positive reviews helped the film to be such a commercial success as well. It ended up grossing over $170 million in the US and Canada, along with another $136 million in other territories.
Photo by Miramax / Producers Circle / Storyline / Kobal / Shutterstock
Overall, Chicago enjoyed a worldwide box office return of just over $306 million. It was the highest-grossing film at the time to not reach the #1 or #2 spots in the weekly box office charts, only peaking in third place overall but still enjoying immense success. It was the highest-grossing live-action musical ever made until Mamma Mia later dethroned it.