Box Office Shocker: Wicked and Gladiator II’s $270M Start Sparks Barbenheimer Comparisons

Published On: November 25, 2024 8:17 am

Like Barbie and Oppenheimer did last year, Wicked and Gladiator II raked in a total of $270.2 million at the global box office.

Both the films and the placards were present. The term “glicked,” which refers to the combined worldwide release of the action epic Gladiator II and the musical adaption Wicked, has defied gravity at the box office. Reminiscent of Barbie and Oppenheimer’s simultaneous run last year, the two films have made nearly $270 million globally in their first weekend of release.

Box office receipts for Wicked and Gladiator II

As a present to theaters before what may be a record-breaking holiday season, the two films brought in a total of $270.2 million in ticket sales worldwide by Sunday. Hollywood, which has endured cost-cutting and layoffs despite predictions that the movie theater industry would die as customers shifted to streaming video services, was reassured by the strong box office results.

The first of two Universal Pictures movies based on a Broadway prequel to The Wizard of Oz, Wicked, was the biggest hit at the box office both domestically and internationally. It made $114 million in theaters in the US and Canada and $50.2 million abroad, for a total of $164.2 million worldwide.

Prior to the worldwide premiere of Universal’s 2012 release Les Misérables, the company claims that it had the largest opening weekend for a movie based on a Broadway musical.

The sequel to the 2000 Oscar-winning film Gladiator, Gladiator II, brought in $106 million globally, of which $55.5 million came from domestic sales. The movie made $221 million at the box office altogether when it was released last weekend outside of the United States.

Glicked: What is it?

Because the two movies came out at the same time and had a different genre, cast, and target demographic, fans nicknamed them Glicked. Gladiator II is an epic bloodfest set in ancient Rome that appeals more to males than women, whereas Wicked is a light musical meant for younger viewers. When Barbie and Oppenheimer were launched concurrently, the phenomenon was comparable. Instead of clashing, the two movies worked together to produce a unique integrated box office sensation. Glicked was supposed to replicate it, according to fans. This shared goal had even inspired the cast from the two movies.

Was Barbenheimer defeated by Glicked?

Barbie and Oppenheimer, often known as Barbenheimer, had raised the standard with a domestic debut weekend of $245 million in July 2023. Despite falling well short of its expectations, Glicked managed to earn $169.5 million in domestic theaters, contributing to the weekend box office’s $201.9 million total.

Nevertheless, the two movies gave moviegoers a much-needed shock after highly anticipated autumn releases like Venom: The Last Dance and Joker: Folie a Deux did poorly at the box office.

Moana 2 is expected to lead to the most Thanksgiving-period sales in history next weekend, according to studios and theater owners.

The film Wicked, which stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, tells the tale of a green-skinned, misunderstood magic student who turns into the Wicked Witch of the West. Wicked tie-ins include a Betty Crocker cupcake mix, a fashion line at Target, and pink and green beverages at Starbucks, all of which are evocative of the Barbie craze.

In Gladiator II, which takes place sixteen years after the first movie, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington play key roles in a tale of political intrigue.