Wicked and Gladiator 2’s box office preview numbers show a clear leader and clarify its comparison with Barbenheimer. Last summer, the simultaneous release of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie became a cultural phenomenon that encouraged audiences to see them as a double bill and boosted both movies at the box office. Similarly, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2, a sequel to his 2000 epic, and the Wicked movie, an adaptation of the stage musical, are both releasing on November 22 with the chance to create “Glicked.”

Now, with both movies releasing this weekend, their box office preview numbers have been revealed, showing a clear leader between the two and clarifying their comparison to Barbenheimer. Per Deadline, Wicked made a massive $19.2 million in previews, benefiting from early fan screenings, including $2.5 million on Monday, $5.7 million on Wednesday, and $11 million on Thursday. On the other hand, Gladiator 2 made $6.5 million in Thursday previews alone. For comparison, Barbie and Oppenheimer made $22.3 million and $10.5 million in Thursday previews, respectively.

What Wicked & Gladiator 2’s Preview Numbers Mean For The Box Office Battle
There’s A Clear Leader & It’s Not As Big As Barbenheimer (But It’s Close)

The Glicked preview numbers show a clear leader between the two, with Wicked making almost three times what Gladiator did, though the former benefited from early fan screenings on three days instead of one. The preview numbers also suggest that Glicked’s box office may not be as big as Barbenheimer’s, but it is close. Comparable to Barbie, Wicked is poised to deliver one of the year’s biggest opening weekends, with projections ranging from $100 million to $110 million, and some estimates flying as high as $130 million.

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Early estimates put Wicked’s opening weekend at $80 million, but box office expectations have steadily risen after months of marketing and merchandise. The story will continue with Wicked Part 2 next year and, with a production budget of $150 million per film, a big opening weekend would secure a bright financial future for the franchise. The other half of the Glicked pair, Gladiator 2 is projected to open at approximately $65 million. With a hefty $250 million production budget and an additional $100 million spent on marketing, the sequel needs strong box office returns to achieve significant success.

Our Take On Wicked & Gladiator 2’s Preview Numbers
Will Glicked Be As Big As Barbenheimer?

Even though Glicked’s preview numbers and their opening weekend projections are lower than Barbenheimer’s, they are close, and it’s exciting that another cultural phenomenon could be coming. If the hype is genuinely real, Glicked could end up massively outperforming its projections, just as Barbenheimer did last summer. While there is hope that Wicked and Gladiator 2 could be the next Barbenheimer, the latter was likely a once-in-a-lifetime movie event, and it’s unlikely Glicked will be able to recreate that magic.

Barbenheimer opened to a combined $244 million at the box office.

Source: Deadline

Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.