Side-by-side posters for historical Roman epic Gladiator II and musical movie Wicked on their opening day at the AMC Lincoln Square 13 theatre in Manhattan on Nov 22. LOS ANGELES – Musical adaptation Wicked and action epic Gladiator II generated a combined US$25.7 million (S$34.
6 million) from early screenings in America and Canada, setting off the biggest box-office battle since “Barbenheimer” – the 2023 movie phenomenon that saw Barbie and Oppenheimer open on the same day. Wicked, the first of two Universal Pictures movies based on a beloved Broadway musical, racked up US$19.2 million from shows from Nov 18 to 20, according to studio data released on Nov 22.
Gladiator II, the Paramount Pictures sequel to an Oscar Best Picture winner more than two decades ago, brought in US$6.5 million on its opening day on Nov 21. The sequel is directed by Ridley Scott, who helmed the original movie from 2000.
The sales for what some have dubbed “Glicked” put the movies on pace to fall just behind the Barbie and Oppenheimer face-off in July 2023. Combined domestic sales for Wicked and Gladiator II are projected to soar as high as US$215 million through Nov 24. Barbie and Oppenheimer pulled in nearly US$245 million combined at domestic theatres during their opening weekend.
The fervour for this weekend’s films is a positive sign for theatre chains such as AMC Entertainment, Cineplex and Cinemark. Movie ticket sales in America and Canada have hovered below pre-pandemic levels as.
