CNN
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Hollywood is seeing green this weekend, with “Wicked” leading a big jump at the domestic box office.
“Wicked” and “Gladiator II” — which some have called “Glicked” following the success of the 2023 summer blockbusters “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” — combined to gross an estimated $169.5 million in their domestic debut. “Wicked” is expected to rake in $114 million, while “Gladiator II” will pull in $55.5 million.
Marketing was key to the two films’ success in their opening weekend, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
“Wicked,” which is distributed by Universal Pictures, and “Gladiator II,” which is distributed by Paramount Pictures, have created a cultural moment that has been missed in recent years and could have stood on their own but likely had a boost from the “Glicked” phenomenon, said Dergarabedian.
Universal and Paramount did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.
“Wicked” got off to a hot start Friday with $46.48 million across 3,888 theaters and now has the biggest opening weekend for a musical adaptation of a Broadway show, surpassing Disney’s “Into the Woods,” according to Variety. It also grabbed the third spot for the highest grossing opening weekend of 2024.
“Gladiator II,” the sequel to the Best Picture winner from 23 years ago, set a record as the biggest November opening day for an R-rated film with $22 million, according to Comscore.
Dergarabedian attributed the quality of the two films and the appeal of the vastly different genres to the strong box office sales. “Gladiator II” drew in older crowds with its violence, whereas “Wicked” targeted younger audiences. Both were hard to miss due to their virality.
“Another lesson learned is that two very high-profile movies can go head-to-head, and both can thrive in the theatrical marketplace,” he said.
‘Glicked’ has invigorated the industry
The SAG-AFTRA strikes, which lasted about four months in 2023, sent the industry’s release schedule into disarray this year. Dergarabedian said the box office had been underperforming until the release of “Inside Out 2” this summer. With this holiday boost and more releases in the coming weeks — including Disney’s “Moana 2” — Hollywood appears to be gaining lost ground.
“It’s about the fact that they’re really solid movies, they’re playing now into this holiday week,” Dergarabedian said. “They’ll be in the Top 10 conversation of the box office a month from now.”
He also credits the year’s success to the diversity in genres. From “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” dominating September, “The Wild Robot” and “Venom: The Last Dance,” every audience has gotten a taste. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which grossed over $450 million worldwide, is distributed by Warner Brothers Discovery, the parent company of CNN.
The overall domestic box office — $7.3 billion — is down 10.6% from last year, but Dergarabedian expects it to rebound soon. He added that the industry has seen significant progress since June when it was down 26% from last year and thinks the box office could surpass the $8 billion mark by the end of the year.
“We’re hitting our stride in terms of the cadence and frequency of movies now and into the new year. 2025 should be a particularly great year for movie theaters and 2026 looks like an absolute monster,” Dergarabedian said.
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