GLICKED: Barbenheimer Part 2?

This past weekend, we got this year’s version of Barbenheimer with the releases of Wicked and Gladiator 2, transforming the weekend into Glicked. Was Glicked the hit that Barbenheimer was? 

If you are looking at the box office numbers, and some people say that’s the only gospel that counts, then the answer is no, Glicked wasn’t the hit that Barbenheimer was. The combined numbers of Wicked and Gladiator 2 fell short of Barbie and Oppenheimer. However, it did feel a lot like last year’s cinematic event.

This weekend, Wicked opened for $112 million domestically and a global total of $162 million. Gladiator 2 opened at $165 million worldwide, with $55 million coming from the States. Combined, both movies made $372 million.

Barbie opened to $155 million in the US and totaled $355 million worldwide, while Oppenheimer opened with $80.5 and $174 worldwide. If we do some quick math, that’s $529 million combined worldwide. Those types of numbers are so rare. Just as a reference, Barbie’s opening was the 4th largest of all time!

But those numbers are all hollow. Important but hollow.

We saw Wicked on Thursday night in a Dolby theater. The place was packed! And by the reaction of the people around us, if it were a sing-a-long screening, they would have belted out every word. Friday, we saw Gladiator 2 with an equally packed IMAX screening. Although there wasn’t the same energy as Wicked during the film, you could feel the excitement for the latest Ridley Scott film as we left the theater.

If you take some time on social media, many posts you will see are people’s reactions to experiencing Wicked on the big screen. Numerous people have shared their in-theater reactions to hearing their favorite song, bringing tears of joy. On both nights we saw groups of friends dressed in matching Wicked shirts. It may not have been the same as people cosplaying as Barbie and Oppenheimer but it had a similar feel.

People wondered when the dates of Barbie and Oppenheimer were announced how much box office they would be taking away from each other. It became apparent quickly that people embraced the idea of going to two movies in one day or even back-to-back nights like we did.

I have a theory (based on no evidence whatsoever). When Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal agreed to let Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures share Spider-Man, it proved that studios could share IP or at the very least let creators promote each other’s work, even if they were competing for dollars simultaneously.

During the lead-up to Barbenheimer, each cast and even the directors were excited about the other movie out that weekend. It does need to be noted that the Actors Strike started the week of both premiers, with the cast of Oppenheimer leaving the red carpet event in London when the strike was called at the home offices in Los Angeles.

We didn’t get the same cross-promotion this time with Glicked, but there also didn’t seem to be any animosity between the two casts.

Wicked and Gladiator 2 are geared towards different audiences. One for the musical theater people and one, well let’s be honest, a more masculine approach to storytelling. We haven’t had a proper Swords and Sandals epic in some time, which may have brought more people to the theater.

The Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo-lead movie was always going to have a large opening weekend, and will probably have some legs in the theater. I have heard there are already plans for sing-a-long nights in the next couple of weeks.

I am beginning to wonder though, is this something we want to happen each year? Do we, as movie fans, want to have a non-Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, etc… type of event to look forward to on the calendar?

I believe it could be fun to have a weekend circled each year where we are looking forward to going to the movie theater multiple times to share the fun of movies with others.

After a quick search of next year’s release schedule, we are getting Edgar Wright’s remake of The Running Man starring Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, Katy O’Brian, and a long list of others, the same weekend as Wicked: Part Two, on November 21, 2025.

So are we going to call that weekend, The Wicking? (We can workshop that name.)

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(via Box Office Mojo)

Author: Sean Miley

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