The simultaneous release of bothWickedandGladiator IIat the box office in November 2024 has proven to be the cinematic event of the year. “Glicked” is rivaling last year’s “Barbenheimer” phenomenon with two entirely different projects finding immense success in different ways. The two films have been endlessly compared thanks to their same-day release, although the projects themselves couldn’t be more dissimilar. However, thebox office figures ofWickedandGladiator IIhave already proven a “winner” of sorts.
BothWickedandGladiator IIwere hugely anticipated releases,the former because of how widely beloved the original Broadway production is, the latter because of how critically acclaimed its Academy Award-winning predecessor was. They both had precedents to live up to, and while one has found more commercial success than the other, it’s hard to deny that either project hasn’t lived up to the huge expectations placed upon it. It wasa box office battle to rival Barbenheimer, and the result is quite surprising.
Wicked vs. Gladiator 2: Opening Weekend Box Office Numbers Compared
Wicked Has Made More Money Domestically On Its Opening Weekend
The first metric to compare betweenWickedandGladiator IIis their opening weekend box office figures, which clearly show thatWickedwas the more lucrative property in the days following its release. In the U.S.,Wicked’s opening weekend brought $114 millionto theaters,whileGladiator IIgrossed $55.5 domestically (viaBox Office Mojo). While these are both strong figures that reflect the projects' respective popularity, the former’s numbers are on track to be some of the year’s highest earnings.
10 Ways Wicked Is Different To 1939’s The Wizard Of Oz
Wicked is based on the world in The Wizard of Oz, but the new musical is different from the original film and book in several notable ways.
Naturally, this is just in the U.S.Gladiator IIopened a week earlier thanWickedin other parts of the world, and their worldwide box office intakes generally show a different trend.Wickeddrew in an extra $50 millioninternationally, whileGladiator IImade $165 million in twice the amount of time. This brings their worldwide figures to $164 million forWickedand $221 million forGladiator II.However, this isn’t as clear of a comparison given the scattered releases.
Wicked’s Reviews & Audience Reception Were Way Better Than Gladiator 2
Rotten Tomatoes Has Crowned Wicked The Weekend’s Victor
Beyond commercial success, both films are to be measured by their critical success, both from professional critics and general audiences. OnRotten Tomatoes, Wickedholds a 97% audience score and a 90% critics score, which is the highest in a long time for a mainstream movie musical.Wicked’s Rotten Tomatoes score is hugely impressive, proving that audiences have immediately fallen in love with the adaptation. The 97% audience score is even stronger than the classicThe Wizard of Oz’s rating, even if the critics don’t quite agree.
To compare,Gladiator IIcurrently has an audience score of 84%,with critics giving the film an even lower 72%. This clearly doesn’t matchWicked’s numbers, suggesting that while the film has performed well commercially, people haven’t been enjoying the project as much as John M. Chu’s musical. But Rotten Tomatoes isn’t everything: the films have also been rated on CinemaScore, withWickedreceiving a resounding A andGladiator IIbeing relegated to a B.
Wicked Became More Of An “Event” Than Gladiator 2
The Marketing Team For Wicked Has Caused A Social Media Storm
Wicked’s superior performance is partially a result of its more eventful releaseand marketing strategy. There have been countless theater events that encourage the audience to dress up, sing along to the music, and share their thoughts on social media with their friends. It’s been a huge cinematic event, which isn’t something that can quite be said aboutGladiator II. Much of this comes down toWicked’s more universal appeal, which includes children and younger families, whereasGladiator IIis a more serious drama aimed at older audiences.
Deadlinehas reported thatWicked’s social media stats reached over 960 million evenbeforethe film’s release, which is almost three times whatGladiator IImanaged.
Wickedis also filled with Easter eggs toThe Wizard of Oz, which appeals to an audience’s sense of nostalgia and makes it easier to enjoy. The original film is an undeniable classic, so it’s no surprise that audiences have been discussing its prequel so widely and giving it so many social media impressions.Deadlinehas reported thatWicked’s social media stats reached over 960 million evenbeforethe film’s release, which is almost three times whatGladiator IImanaged.
Wicked Targeted A Bigger Audience Than Gladiator 2
The Wicked Musical Is A More Accessible Movie
A huge reason forWicked’s box office success is that it’s targeted towards a more universal audience. This factor is very reminiscent ofBarbie’s success in the Barbenheimer battle of 2023: there aren’t many movies that clearly market themselves towards a female audience, so when a film comes along that’s unapologetically pink and stereotypically feminine, it tends to be a greater success.
Additionally, Gladiator II is cursed by its R rating, which prevented many younger audiences from watching it.
Gladiator IIis a much less accessible film, and it only appeals to those who’ve already seen (and enjoyed) the original film. It’s a clear sequel that requires some knowledge of the first movie to be enjoyed, whereasWickedis an extremely accessible project that doesn’t require any prior knowledge,and whose music can appeal to anybody. Additionally,Gladiator IIis cursed by its R rating, which prevented many younger audiences from watching it.
Wicked Will Likely Have A Longer Box Office Run Than Gladiator 2
Movie Musicals' Success Tends To Last Longer
Judging by the typical trends of how musicals perform at the box office,Wicked’s opening weekend will only constitute a small portion of its commercial intake.Movie musicals tend to have much longer legs than regular releases, as audiences may return to hearWicked’s iconic songsagain or experience the immense musical numbers that don’t have the same impact on a small screen. There’s plenty of precedent for this trend in the past, with movies likeThe Greatest Showmandisplaying huge longevity that continued for months after their release.
10 Ways Gladiator 2 Openly Repeats Gladiator 1
Gladiator 2 takes a number of elements directly from the original movie, from character archetypes, narrative arcs, and direct references.
However, that’s not to say thatWickeddoesn’t have competition coming. Whilethe impending holiday season could prove beneficial toWicked’s box office run, it’s also one of the busiest times of the year for new releases, which could easily detract from the audiences returning to experienceWickedagain. The film will have to rely strongly on its social media marketing strategy and existing word-of-mouth to continue thriving at the box office.
Wicked & Gladiator 2 Are Both On Track To Be Box Office Successes
Despite Their Competition, Both “Glicked” Films Are Having An Excellent Performance
Ultimately, barring the competition, bothWickedandGladiator IIare set to be huge successes at the box office. They’re both on track to exceed their budget by several orders of magnitude and performing better than either project could have anticipated. Whileit’s easy to letWickedovershadowGladiator II,the latter’s numbers would have been an enormous success on any other weekend.
Gladiator II’s box office smashed recordsinternationally, and much of its success could actually be credited to the ongoing rivalry withWicked. It’s the same phenomenon that was seen with Barbenheimer in 2024: having two popular films released on the same weekend can actually help create an event of sorts that increases both of their commercial intakes. The competition drives audiences to the theaters and gets people interested in films that they otherwise wouldn’t care for.
Wicked
Cast
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 II
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.
