Wicked and Gladiator 2 explode the scores at the US box office

As expected, the “Glicked” phenomenon took American theaters by storm this weekend.

How bad Wicked And Gladiator II boosted each other, in the way of barbie And Oppenheimer in 2023? It's difficult to gauge at the moment, but after the phenomenon “Barbenheimer“, the phenomenon”Glicked” is taking American theaters by storm. Released at the same time on Friday, the musical Wicked and the peplum Gladiator 2 both had strong performances across the Atlantic, contributing to one of the most profitable weekends of the year with approximately $210 million in global revenue. A very good omen for the industry which intends to ride the trends during the holidays and already with Thanksgiving, next week when Moana 2 will arrive (November 27).

Until then, it's Wicked which placed at the top of the US box office. Universal's adaptation of the first act of the popular Broadway musical ranks No. 1 in North America this Sunday evening with $114 million from 3,888 theaters. A fantastic start, well beyond expectations and which makes Wicked (which will be released in France on December 4) the third best start of the year in the USA, behind Deadpool & Wolverine ($211 million) and Vice-Versa 2 ($154 million). Wicked also achieves the fourth best start in history for a musical, ahead of the recent remake of The Little Mermaid from Disney ($95.5 million) and just behind Frozen 2 ($130 million). Finally, it is the best start in history for a Broadway adaptation, far surpassing the record held by Into the Woods ($31 million in 2014).

Because films based on Broadway hits are rarely movie successes. But Wicked will obviously be a huge counterexample. It is already at $164.2 million in worldwide revenue after several days, much stronger than Les Miserables ($103 million in 2012).

As planned for months, Gladiator II must settle for second place. But it's not a bargain place, since the R-rated sequel (for an informed audience) posted $55.5 million in revenue in 3,573 theaters. A very good score, which corresponds to the estimates of specialists. A much better start than Gladiator which grossed $34.8 million at the US box office during its opening weekend in 2000. The film ended up grossing $465 million worldwide at the end of its run. A very good result that Gladiator 2 hopes to exceed to justify its massive budget of $250 million in production + around $100 million in promotion. For now, the new peplum of Ridley Scott has generated 221 million dollars worldwide and will visibly struggle to do much more than its glorious ancestor, while the returns are still much less enthusiastic than at the time of the Roman triumph of Russell Crowe.