This past weekend, Wicked, the magical movie based on the Broadway musical, took over the box office, earning $114 million in North America. It easily beat Gladiator II, which brought in $55.5 million. Gladiator II is the sequel to the 2000 Best Picture winner Gladiator, a film about ancient Rome. While $55.5 million is a good opening, it wasn’t enough to defeat Wicked.
This movie weekend reminded people of a similar moment earlier in 2023 when Barbie and Oppenheimer were released on the same day. The mix of Wicked and Gladiator II also made headlines with a funny combined name, “Glicked” or “Wickiator.” Much like Barbenheimer, these two films attracted different audiences. Wicked brought out mostly women, while Gladiator II attracted more men. In the case of Barbie and Oppenheimer, the female-led Barbie made twice as much money as the male-focused Oppenheimer.
Even though Wicked did very well, it wasn’t a sure thing it would win. When Universal first planned the release of Wicked, it wasn’t supposed to come out at the same time as Gladiator II. The studio moved Wicked’s release to avoid competing with Moana 2, another movie that’s expected to be very popular with families. Also, sequels often have a hard time at the box office, as shown by other movies like The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.
So, how did Wicked end up winning? Experts say it’s because Wicked built a lot of excitement through marketing. Universal invested a lot of money into the movie, partnering with over 400 companies for promotions. There were special Wicked merchandise items, such as a teddy bear, pink suitcases, and even Wicked-themed macaroni and cheese. The studio also made sure to promote the movie on big TV events like the Paris Olympics, with stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo wearing Wicked colors and appearing on shows like The Today Show.
In the end, both Wicked and Gladiator II performed well, showing that audiences are eager to return to theaters after a slow year. Experts believe that the success of these two films could help boost ticket sales during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and even set new box office records.