'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' Smash $270.2M Box Office as 'Moana 2' Teases Record-Breaking Holiday Run

"Wicked" and "Gladiator II" powered to a combined $270.2 million global box office haul, igniting theaters as "Moana 2" prepares to make waves in a potentially historic holiday season.

'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' Revitalize Global Box Office with $270.2 Million in Sales
As theaters prepare for what might be a record-breaking holiday season, the musical "Wicked" and the action epic "Gladiator II" earned a total of $270.2 million in worldwide ticket sales over the weekend.

Hollywood has survived layoffs and budget cuts in the face of predictions that movies would soon be extinct due to customers' increasing reliance on streaming video services, so the strong box office results came as a relief.

Paramount Pictures' head of distribution, Chris Aronson, stated, "Moviegoers and box office pundits have been waiting for this weekend, and no one is disappointed."

'Wicked’s' Record-Breaking Opening Weekend Boosts Theatrical Optimism
At the box office, "Wicked"—the first of two pictures produced by Universal Pictures based on a Broadway prequel to "The Wizard of Oz"—was king, both at home and abroad. A worldwide total of $164.2 million was generated, with $114 million coming from theaters in the United States and Canada and $50.2 million from overseas countries.

Prior to Universal's 2012 worldwide debut of "Les Misérables," the company claimed that this was the largest opening weekend for a cinematic adaption of a Broadway musical.

'Gladiator II' Follows with Impressive Global Earnings
With $55.5 million from the United States alone, "Gladiator II" brought in a total of $106 million worldwide. The film, produced by Paramount Pictures, is a follow-up to the best picture Oscar winner from 20 years earlier. Overall, the picture made $221 million at the box office after its debut last weekend outside of the US.

'Glicked' Sparks Hope for Upcoming Releases
At home, the two films—which fans have dubbed "Glicked"—raked in $169.5 million, contributing to a total weekend box office take of $201.9 million. According to Comscore, this is the highest-grossing North American weekend since "Deadpool & Wolverine" opened in July.

When "Glicked" failed to meet the $245 million opening numbers of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" in July 2023, it demonstrated that the industry was recovering from the pandemic and writer/actor strikes of that year.

Theaters Eye 'Moana 2' to Drive Holiday Sales
After highly anticipated fall releases like "Joker: Folie a Deux" and "Venom: The Last Dance" bombed at the box office, the two flicks were a welcome shock to theatergoers.

In anticipation of another big release this week, the cartoon "Moana 2" by Walt Disney, theater companies including AMC Entertainment, Cineplex, and Cinemark took heart from the frenzy, Investing.com shares.

"This is a tremendous catalyst for a strong box office going into December and the New Year," stated Michael O'Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners.

Box Office Recovery Faces Streaming Competition
With theaters struggling to compete with streaming services and recover from the delays caused by the Hollywood strikes last year, movie ticket sales in the US and Canada have remained below pre-pandemic levels.

Total domestic ticket sales as of Sunday came to $7.3 billion, a decrease of 10.6% compared to the same period in 2023, as reported by Comscore.

Holiday Season Could Break Records with 'Moana 2' and Beyond
Studios and theater owners are crossing their fingers that "Moana 2" will have the best Thanksgiving weekend sales ever.

According to experts in the box office, the period between Thanksgiving and the end of the year may have the highest ticket sales in cinematic history. In 2017, "The Last Jedi," the lead film in the "Star Wars" franchise, helped establish a new record for the holiday season with $2.5 billion.

"This is the best possible news for movie theaters, this lineup of films, starting with 'Glicked' and 'Moana 2,'" said Paul Dergarabedian, media analyst for Comscore.

'Wicked’s' Marketing Dominates Popular Culture
"Wicked" is a musical about a green-skinned student of magic who transforms into the Wicked Witch of the West, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

"It's wrapped in a fairy tale, but the point of it is to dig at real truth," expressed director Jon M. Chu during the film's premiere in London, in response to a question regarding the story's widespread appeal.

The original "Wicked" film cost about $160 million to produce, and that doesn't even account for the tens of millions more that went into marketing the franchise, which included everything from a Super Bowl commercial to hundreds of merchandise items. Universal is a division of Comcast.

'Gladiator II' Promises More Drama and Star Power
Set sixteen years subsequent to the events of the first film, "Gladiator II" features Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington in a tale of political intrigue.

Walt Disney's "Mufasa: The Lion King," Paramount's "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," and Searchlight Pictures' "A Complete Unknown," which stars Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan, are among the other films set to release before the year ends.