Just like how “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” teamed up to make “Barbenheimer” a huge success last year, this weekend, Universal’s musical “Wicked” and Paramount’s action film “Gladiator II” are trying to create a new combo called “Glicked.”
So far, “Wicked” has earned $19.2 million in its early screenings. This includes $2.5 million from Monday showings, $5.7 million from Wednesday previews, and $11 million on Thursday. On the other hand, “Gladiator II” made $6.5 million during its Thursday previews.
For comparison, last summer’s “Barbenheimer” movies had “Barbie” making $22.3 million in its Thursday previews, while “Oppenheimer” earned $10.5 million.
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Director Jon M. Chu’s movie version of the popular Broadway musical, starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, is expected to have one of the biggest opening weekends this year. “Wicked” is predicted to make between $100 million and $110 million, with some guesses going as high as $130 million.
After months of TV ads, pink-and-green themed merchandise, and Ariana Grande hosting “Saturday Night Live,” the box office predictions for “Wicked” have kept growing. At first, it was expected to earn $80 million.
The musical is set to break records as the biggest opening ever for a movie based on a Broadway show. Right now, the record belongs to 2014’s “Into the Woods,” which made $31 million when it opened. Next year, the second part of the story, “Wicked Part 2,” will hit theatres. Each movie costs $150 million, so this big opening will be a happy success at the box office.
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Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” the other part of “Glicked,” is expected to make around $65 million in its opening weekend. The sequel takes place after the events of Scott’s famous 2000 Roman epic and features a star-studded cast, including Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, Connie Nielsen, and more.
With a $250 million budget and another $100 million spent on ads, “Gladiator II” will need to earn a lot worldwide to be a big success.
Source: Variety