Moviegoers soared from Oz to the Colosseum over the weekend as millions around the world flocked to see \u201cWicked\u201d and \u201cGladiator II\u201d in theaters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In North America alone, \u201cWicked\u201d dominated the box office on opening weekend, making an estimated $114 <\/strong>million from more than 3,800 locations. \u201cGladiator II,\u201d the sequel to the 2000 historical epic, also pulled in an estimated $55.5 million from more than 3,500 locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The opening weekend of both highly anticipated films prompted widespread comparisons to last summer\u2019s \u201cBarbenheimer<\/a>\u201d phenomenon, when \u201cBarbie\u201d and \u201cOppenheimer\u201d created an unprecedented box office event as well as a cultural moment unlike any other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With \u201cGladiator II\u201d and \u201cWicked,\u201d similar excitement had built up online for months, with many fans gearing up for what they deemed \u201cGlicked\u201d (pronounced glick-id<\/em>). Nearly 65% of people surveyed in Fandango\u2019s 2024 most anticipated holiday movie survey<\/a> said they were interested in seeing the two movies as a theatrical double feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWicked\u201d outperformed \u201cGladiator II,\u201d more than doubling its earnings to take the No. 1 spot at the global and domestic box offices this weekend. But it fell short of the record-breaking performance of \u201cBarbie,\u201d while \u201cGladiator II\u201d fell behind the strong opening of \u201cOppenheimer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEver since \u2018Barbenheimer,\u2019 the whole industry and everyone is just looking for the next mashup that we can put together, and this weekend offered that up,\u201d said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, a company that tracks box office data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dergarabedian added that both films will individually benefit <\/strong>from weeks of playability due to their rave reviews, star-studded casts and creative marketing campaigns \u2014 making the \u201cGlicked\u201d phenomenon just the \u201cicing on the cake.\u201d Still, he said, \u201cBarbenheimer\u201d and \u201cGlicked\u201d have shown the industry that this kind of same-day counterprogramming \u201ccreates a social buzz that\u2019s undeniable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the glamorous pink energy around \u201cBarbie\u201d contrasted sharply with the dark and solemn overtones of \u201cOppenheimer,\u201d the films became a must-see double feature \u2014 largely due to the <\/strong>power of internet memes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, \u201cGladiator II\u201d and \u201cWicked\u201d offered moviegoers the opportunity to lean into the contrasting themes. \u201cWicked,\u201d starring <\/strong>Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, is a lively musical filled with Broadway show tunes and theater lore. <\/strong>By comparison, Ridley Scott\u2019s \u201cGladiator II\u201d is an action-packed film with swords, violent battles and ancient warfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Universal Pictures, the distributor of \u201cWicked,\u201d and Paramount Pictures, the distributor of \u201cGladiator II,\u201d pulled out all the stops for their marketing campaigns<\/a> \u2014 ranging from creating a free \u201cGladiator\u201d experience at the Colosseum in Rome, hosted by Airbnb, to launching a barrage of green-and-pink \u201cWicked\u201d-themed merch with dozens of retail partners<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (NBC News and Universal Pictures share Comcast as a parent company.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n David Joshua Taylor, a self-described movie buff who saw both films on opening night, said he wore a \u201cWicked\u201d-themed Shiz University sweater in one theater before switching to a \u201cGladiator\u201d sweater for the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s such a big event: You got your Broadway theater people, and then obviously you got people just wanting a good time at the movies,\u201d said Taylor, 29. \u201cThe whole atmosphere, it\u2019s electrifying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both films also benefited from the buzz \u2014 and memes \u2014 online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGladiator II\u201d stars Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal have sparked an online fan frenzy, with the actors being affectionately dubbed \u201cbabygirls<\/a>.\u201d \u201cWicked\u201d generated attention through a playful debate online around whether it\u2019s appropriate etiquette to sing along to the musical\u2019s popular songs in theaters<\/a>. The film\u2019s press tour also prompted a flurry of viral videos and memes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, \u201cGlicked\u201d didn\u2019t quite replicate the magic of \u201cBarbenheimer,\u201d according to Shawn Robbins, founder of Box Office Theory and director of analytics at Fandango.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou can\u2019t capture lightning in a bottle twice. The thing\u2019s never going to repeat itself the same way, but it certainly became part of the conversation to an extent,\u201d Robbins said. \u201cBut I think going forward, more studios can look at this as another successful blueprint for how to release two big counterprogramming movies at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stars from the films said the choice to participate in the double feature experience is entirely up to moviegoers. But they expressed support for how the dueling films bring people together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked by ET<\/a> about the trend, Erivo and Grande said, \u201cWe like \u2018Glicked\u2019 Day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n