Is it Wickediator? Glicked? It’s exceedingly rare to see two major theatrical releases arrive on the same weekend, so rare that when it happens we’ve started giving them names. Last year we had Barbie and Oppenheimer together, and this year we have Wicked and Gladiator II.
The main reason that we don’t see two major releases at the same time is that studios fear that they’re going to lose the box office by having audiences split their attention. So far, that doesn’t appear to be the case, as both Wicked and Gladiator II have put up solid box office numbers in their Thursday night previews.
How Wicked And Gladiator II Did On Opening Night
According to Deadline, Wicked put up a very impressive $19.2 million while Gladiator II has earned a respectable $6.5 million. The Wicked number also includes fan screenings that took place on Monday and Wednesday nights. That’s a box office over $25 million in total, which is a truly impressive number, though Barbenheimer takes the crown as its preview total exceeded $30 million.
The numbers are good news for both films and for the box office in general. Wicked will be the clear winner for the weekend, which was never really in doubt. But it means that Gladiator II is still on track for an opening weekend in the vicinity of $60 million. It’s an opening on par with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes box office, which went on to gross nearly $400 million worldwide, a perfectly respectable number. Especially considering the stiff competition.
Considering plenty of big movies have won the box office with numbers like Gladiator II is likely to put up, it’s a big win, and a clear indication that two major tentpoles can release together without actually losing box office ground.
Wicked Is Set For A Massive Box Office Take
Wicked on the other hand, is off to the races. The nearly $20 million preview number put it in the same class as movies like Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, the remake of The Lion King, and Barbie, all movies that went on to gross $1 billion and more at the global box office. Considering the broad popularity of Wicked even before the movie arrived, there’s every reason to believe this is going to be one of those movies that people are not going to wait and see, and that a lot of fans will likely go see more than once.
The big test to Wicked‘s staying power will likely come in just a week. Disney is releasing Moana 2 ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Considering both movies are musicals with broad appeal, they are two movies that are appealing to the same audience, likely the reason that Wicked moved up its release date.
It seems all but assured that Wicked is on its way to being one of the highest-grossing films on the 2024 movie schedule. The only question is whether it will overtake Deadpool & Wolverine or Inside Out 2 before it’s done. With more than a month left in the year, there’s plenty of time for that.