Gladiator II and Wicked Box Office Collection

As of Sunday, the two films had grossed a combined $270.2 million in global ticket sales over the weekend, a bonanza for theaters heading into a record-setting holiday season. The strong box office returns provided reassurance to Hollywood, which has faced cost-cutting and layoffs amid forecasts of the death of cinema as consumers gravitate toward streaming video services.

Wicked, the first of two films from Universal Pictures based on the Broadway prequel to The Wizard of Oz, topped the domestic and global box office. It grossed $114 million in US and Canadian theaters, as well as $50.2 million in international markets, for a global total of $164.2 million.

According to the studio, it was the largest opening weekend for a film based on a Broadway musical, prior to the global debut of Universal’s 2012 release Les Misérables.

Gladiator II, the sequel to the 2000 Oscar-winning classic Gladiator, grossed $106 million worldwide, including $55.5 million from domestic sales. The film, which was released outside the US last weekend, grossed $221 million at the box office.

What is Glicked?

Both films were loved by fans due to their simultaneous release and the diverse nature of their genre, cast and target audience. While Wicked is a lighter musical for younger audiences and women, Gladiator II is an epic blood fest set in ancient Rome, which appeals more to men. This incident is similar to when Barbee and Oppenheimer were released together. The two films collaborated rather than clashed, creating a rare cohesive event at the box office. Fans were hopeful that Glicked would make it again. Even the actors of both the films had united behind this joint objective.

Did Glicked beat Barbenheimer?

Barbee and Oppenheimer – or Barbenheimer as it was called – set the bar in July 2023 with a domestic opening weekend of $245 million. Glicked fell well behind them, earning $169.5 million in domestic theaters, helping boost the weekend box office to $201.9 million. million.

Still, after the underperformance at the box office of anticipated fall films like Joker: Folie à Deux and Venom: The Last Dance, both films gave theaters a much-needed jolt.

Studio and theater owners expect Moana 2 to lead the strongest Thanksgiving-period sales in history next weekend.

Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the story of a misunderstood, green-skinned student of magic who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. In a campaign reminiscent of the hubbub surrounding Barbie, Wicked tie-ins include pink and green drinks at Starbucks, a fashion line at Target, and Betty Crocker cupcake mixes.

Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington in a tale of political intrigue that takes place 16 years after the original film.

,With inputs from Reuters,