Over the weekend, millions of people from all over the world rushed to the Colosseum to watch Gladiator II and Wicked, sending moviegoers flying from Oz.
Wicked made an estimated $114 million from more than 3,800 theaters in its first weekend, dominating the box office in North America alone. The follow-up to the historical epic from 2000, Gladiator II, likewise brought in an estimated $55.5 million from over 3,500 theaters.
The first weekend of both much awaited movies sparked many analogies to the Barbie and Oppenheimer phenomena of last summer, when they produced a cultural moment and an unparalleled box office event.
Similar anticipation had been building online for months for Gladiator II and Wicked, with many fans preparing for what they called Glicked (pronounced glick-id). In Fandango’s 2024 most anticipated holiday film survey, nearly 65% of respondents indicated that they would be interested in watching the two films as a double feature in theaters.
Wicked performed better than Gladiator II, more than doubling its revenue to win the top spot this weekend at both the domestic and international box offices. However, it was unable to match Barbie’s record-breaking performance, and Gladiator II lagged after Oppenheimer’s powerful opening.
Everyone in the industry has been searching for the next mashup to create since Barbenheimer, and this weekend provided that opportunity, according to Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, a company that monitors box office data.
Dergarabedian went on to say that both movies would profit from weeks of playability on their own because of their fantastic reviews, impressive actors, and innovative marketing strategies, with the Glicked phenomenon serving as the cherry on top. Nevertheless, he claimed that Barbenheimer and Glicked have demonstrated to the business that this type of same-day counterprogramming generates an indisputable social buzz.
Due in large part to the influence of internet memes, the films became a must-see double feature, despite the stark contrast between the glitzy pink energy surrounding Barbie and the somber and dark themes of Oppenheimer.
Likewise, viewers have the chance to embrace the opposing concepts in Gladiator II and Wicked. Broadway show tunes and theater mythology abound in the vibrant musical Wicked, which stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda.In contrast, the action-packed movie Gladiator II, directed by Ridley Scott, features swords, bloody combat, and ancient warfare.
For their marketing campaigns, Universal Pictures, the distributor of Wicked, and Paramount Pictures, the distributor of Gladiator II, went all out. They created a free Gladiator experience at Rome’s Colosseum, which was hosted by Airbnb, and launched a flurry of green and pink Wicked-themed merchandise with dozens of retail partners.
(Comcast is a parent company of Universal Pictures and NBC News.)
Self-described movie buff David Joshua Taylor, who watched both films on opening night, claimed to have worn a Gladiator sweater in one cinema and a Shiz University sweater with a Wicked motif in another.
According to 29-year-old Taylor, “It’s such a big event: You have your Broadway theater people and obviously you have people just wanting to have a good time at the movies.” The entire atmosphere is thrilling.
The internet buzz and memes helped both movies as well.
Actors Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal, who are lovingly referred to as “babygirls,” have ignited an internet fan frenzy for Gladiator II. A lighthearted online discussion about whether it’s proper manners to sing along to the hit songs of the show in theaters attracted attention to Wicked. A wave of viral videos and memes was also sparked by the movie’s publicity tour.
Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, said that Glicked didn’t quite capture Barbenheimer’s enchantment.
Lightning in a bottle cannot be captured twice. According to Robbins, the incident would never happen again in the same manner, but it did contribute to the discussion to some degree. However, I believe that additional studios will be able to use this as another successful model for releasing two major counterprogramming films simultaneously in the future.
The decision to take part in the double feature event is completely up to the audience, according to the movie stars. However, they endorsed the way the dueling movies unite people.
Erivo and Grande said, “We like Glicked Day,” when ET asked them about the trend.
Mescal, who plays Lucius in Gladiator II, also shared his thoughts, telling Variety that he believes the two movies work incredibly well together because they are so distinct from one another.
He told the outlet, “And if you love movies, go out there and support them.” We’re at a crucial juncture, so don’t wait for it to be streamed. We’ve been watching movies in theaters for a short while now. If you enjoy going to the movies, go see both of them.
With Moana 2 arriving in theaters next week and more films scheduled for December, the next Christmas season may provide a huge boost to movie theaters as the year draws to a conclusion.
“The success of many major theatrical releases is likely to continue to be driven by the growing trend of eventification in the moviegoing experience, as evidenced by the costumes, merchandise, and other forms of fan involvement around Barbenheimer and Glicked,” Robbins said.
He claimed that it’s playing into something that is intrinsically special about the experience of seeing a movie with loved ones and being able to celebrate it in a way that simply cannot be duplicated elsewhere.
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