This weekend’s box office will be a mix of pink and green, with a dash of red.
Arriving before Thanksgiving, Universal’s Wicked and Paramount’s Gladiator II are predicted to sell over $200 million worth of tickets this weekend.
Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, stated that Wicked and Gladiator II are the type of counter-programming combo that movie theaters and consumers have been eagerly awaiting. As usual, there have been ups and downs at the box office this fall, but these two movies are poised to launch a possibly historic holiday season, with Moana 2 poised to make a significant impact over Thanksgiving next week.
Due to advance screenings that took place throughout the week, Wicked has already brought in $19.2 million at the domestic box office. On Monday, 750 theaters in the United States distributed $2.5 million to Amazon Prime members, and on Wednesday, about 2,000 cinemas in the United States and Canada contributed an additional $5.7 million. An extra $11 million was made from Wicked’s regular Thursday night preview showings at over 3,300 locations.
Since late October, tracking estimates for Wicked have increased from about $80 million to a range of $120 million to $140 million, with some predicting an even greater three-day total for the movie’s opening weekend.
In recent years, Hollywood has found it difficult to promote and turn a profit on film musicals. Fan-favorite IP-driven games have, nevertheless, also outperformed in the industry. Given that Wicked is based on one of Broadway’s most well-known musicals, box office pundits are having difficulty forecasting the film’s performance.
Before its premiere, Wicked had a 92% Fresh rating from over 160 critics on review site Rotten Tomatoes. With almost 2,500 ratings, the website’s popcornmeter, which measures the proportion of confirmed moviegoers who gave the film a rating of 3.5 stars or higher, is at 99%.
Wicked should launch as the highest-opening Broadway adaption in movie history, regardless of how much it brings in throughout the weekend. According to Comscore data, Disney’s Into the Woods holds the current record with $31 million earned in its first three days of release in theaters in 2014.
Gladiator II, however, earned $6.5 million from previews on Thursday and is anticipated to boost the domestic weekend total by $60 million to $80 million. After more than 200 reviews, the movie, which comes out 24 years after the original, has a 73% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In contrast, Gladiator made $34.8 million on its first weekend of release in May 2000.
The power of ‘Glicked’
According to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, the so-called Glicked movie mashup is generating a lot of discussion in society and is reminiscent of the Barbenheimer phenomena. Though not quite at that level, it has undoubtedly increased both films’ visibility, and when paired with overwhelmingly positive reviews, it has put these two very different films in a position to succeed on the first weekend and, more significantly, play well over the holidays.
Box office analysts predict that ticket sales will range from $200 million to $250 million over the weekend due to Wicked, Gladiator II, and other previously released movies that are still showing in theaters. Despite being impressive, Comscore data indicates that it would still not place in the top 20 highest-grossing weekends ever.
The fourth-highest weekend haul in history, the Barbenheimer weekend of July 21, 2023, brought in over $311 million.
However, Robbins pointed out that it’s not only about the initial hours or days. These movies have the potential and most likely will continue to do well for weeks to come, particularly if public opinion reflects that of reviewers.
The entire yearly box office, which is 11% behind 2023 levels for the same time period, will benefit from this weekend’s performance. Additionally, moviegoers attending theaters will be exposed to promos for additional films that will be released in December and later in 2025.
Greg Marcus, CEO of Marcus Corporation, which owns Marcus Theatres and Marcus Hotels & Resorts, stated, “Our job is to maximize what’s coming in that door.” Attend to our clients. Make sure the customers who arrive have a wonderful experience. Make sure that lines move as fast as possible so that we may serve them both literally and symbolically and demonstrate to them how much fun it is to enjoy a movie and company.
At its sites, Marcus Theatres and dozens of other movie theater companies, both large and small, are providing patrons with customized popcorn buckets and beverage containers, as well as other movie-related items.
In order to store popcorn, Cinemark offers a Gladiator II bucket that resembles the Colosseum and a gladiator helmet that fits over its drink cups. Regal’s cup is designed like a witch hat.In addition to a variety of themed drinks like green apple ICEE, Sprite varieties like Ozdust Punch and Emerald Elixir, and alcoholic beverages called Popular Pink and Gravity Green, the AMC menu offers pink and green candy-coated popcorn.
Disclosure: NBCUniversal, CNBC, Fandango, and Rotten Tomatoes are all owned by Comcast. Wicked is distributed by NBCUniversal.
More from CNBC:
-
Why some U.S. companies are scaling back DEI programs
-
Apple and Google could face a competition probe over their huge mobile ecosystems in the UK
-
Why X s new terms of service are driving some users to leave Elon Musk s platform
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!