Is 'Glicked' the new 'Barbenheimer'? Sort of.

Moviegoers soared from Oz to the Colosseum over the weekend as millions around the world flocked to see “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” in theaters.

Moviegoers soared from Oz to the Colosseum over the weekend as millions around the world flocked to see “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” in theaters.

In North America alone, “Wicked” dominated the box office on opening weekend, making an estimated $114 million from more than 3,800 locations. “Gladiator II,” the sequel to the 2000 historical epic, also pulled in an estimated $55.5 million from more than 3,500 locations.

The opening weekend of both highly anticipated films prompted widespread comparisons to last summer’s “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” created an unprecedented box office event as well as a cultural moment unlike any other.

With “Gladiator II” and “Wicked,” similar excitement had built up online for months, with many fans gearing up for what they deemed “Glicked” (pronounced glick-id). Nearly 65% of people surveyed in Fandango’s 2024 most anticipated holiday movie survey said they were interested in seeing the two movies as a theatrical double feature.

“Wicked” outperformed “Gladiator II,” more than doubling its earnings to take the No. 1 spot at the global and domestic box offices this weekend. But it fell short of the record-breaking performance of “Barbie,” while “Gladiator II” fell behind the strong opening of “Oppenheimer.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/movies/wicked-gladiator-box-office-opening-weekend-rcna180188

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