Preview:
- ‘Wicked’ has proved to be a record-breaking opening for a musical.
- ‘Gladiator II’ was also successful.
- The box office total was up compared to last year.
Studios and theater owners had something to be very thankful for this weekend, as both ‘Gladiator II’ and ‘Wicked’ stormed to big wins –– record-breaking success in the musical movie’s case –– at the box office ahead of the holiday.
Universal has, of course blanketed media with ‘Wicked’ promotions and there is enough merchandising out there to fill the courtyard of Shiz university.
RQxhOkO0isYC870cad8Zg4‘Gladiator II,’ meanwhile, saw Paramount rolling out giant ads and, in a move that has clearly paid off, chose to open the historical epic sequel a week earlier in some international markets, getting a jump on the competition.
It might not quite be the same phenomenon as “Barbenheimer” from last year (when ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ opened big together, but whatever portmanteau sticks –– “Glicked,” perhaps, or “Wickiator”? –– it’s still good news.
CJVuNFCKxFBq4IsG555O72How did ‘Wicked’ perform at the box office?
Unlike the ‘Gladiator follow-up, ‘Wicked’ launched this week globally as well as domestically, and it has seen solid totals both here and elsewhere.
Directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey and Jeff Goldblum, the movie charts the story of what happened before and after the events of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’
There were concerns that the fact it’s part one of two might hurt sales but confirming the split between films ahead of time seems to have reassured viewers. It doesn’t hurt that the movie enjoyed positive reviews and was embraced by a large slice of the moviegoing public.
How the story as a whole works remains to be seen –– ‘Part 2′ isn’t due until next November, but based on the reception for the first, the second looks set to be a success too.
The movie musical adapted from the hugely successful stage show earned $114 million in the US, which is the third-biggest movie debut in total this year (behind ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ and ‘Inside Out 2.’) It is also the biggest domestic opening ever for a movie based on a Broadway production, overtaking the likes of ‘The Color Purple.’
Overseas, the response was a little more muted, with $50 million, but that $164.2 million global launch secured the largest opening for a Broadway-based movie, supplanting 2012’s ‘Les Misérables,’ which launched to $103 million.
Ticket sales for ‘Wicked’ rank as the fifth-biggest worldwide debut in history for a musical, ahead of Disney’s 2023 ‘The Little Mermaid’ reimagining ($163.6 million) and behind 2019’s ‘The Lion King’ ($446 million), 2017’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ remake ($358 million), 2019’s ‘Frozen 2’ ($358 million ) and 2019’s ‘Aladdin’ ($213 million).
So while the witches of Oz can’t quite compare to the Mouse House, at least this result might make studios actually put the music of their, er, musicals in trailers going forward (no, we’re not holding our breath either.)
And the movie still has a few key markets left to open, including France, China and Japan.
Universal will need it to stay popular –– the combined two movies come with a $300 million price tag and the company spent untold millions on a worldwide promotional tour with the cast. Still, the blizzard of Oz-related partnership deals will help.
Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Wicked’
How about ‘Gladiator II’?
As with ‘Wicked,’ the new ‘Gladiator’ outing had a solid base from which to build, but also some big sandals to fill.
Ridley Scott’s 2000 original was a big smash, earning nearly half a billion dollars globally (a big figure in 2000 terms) and winning five Oscars, including Best Picture.
A sequel has been in development almost as long as the original has been out, but it has taken years for Scott and a cadre of writers to crack the sequel story.
In the end, they chose to follow Lucius, the young man seen in the first film (played there by Spencer Treat Clark) who is the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, who returns for the sequel).
The new movie follows a grown Lucius (with rising star Paul Mescal in the role) as he finds himself enslaved by the Roman empire and forced to fight as a gladiator. He’s also drawn into the turbulent politics of Rome via Macrinus, a slave-turned-slave-owning arms dealer, played to scene-stealing effect by Denzel Washington.
‘Gladiator II’ opened to $55.5 million domestically (slightly behind predictions) and added $50.5 million to its overseas total.
As mentioned, it had already launched overseas, and currently stands at $165.5 million from territories outside the US, and $221 million globally.
Which is a fine start for the movie, and Paramount will be hoping it stays strong at the box office. It skews more male and older than ‘Wicked’ or the family-friendlier titles on the way (see below for the heavy hitter headed to screens), but with a $250 million-plus budget (and around $100 million in promotional costs), it’ll be battling its way to profit.
What do exhibitors have to look forward to?
Disney is looking to enter the fray this Thanksgiving week with its latest sequel to a big movie –– ‘Moana 2,’ which the studio birthed from the planned animated series follow-up to the 2016 hit, will be on screens on November 27th, looking to attract the family crowds in search of something for the kids to watch during the hectic holidays.
With Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho returning as Maui and Moana, the studio will be hoping for another successful launch, though we’d doubt that it’ll hit the heights of, say, ‘Inside Out 2’ from earlier this year.
Other Movies and TV Shows Based on the ‘Wizard of Oz’:
- ‘The Wizard of Oz‘ (1925)
- ‘The Wizard of Oz‘ (1939)
- ‘The Wiz‘ (1978)
- ‘Return to Oz‘ (1985)
- ‘The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz‘ (2005)
- ‘Tin Man‘ (2007)
- ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ (2013)
- ‘Emerald City‘ (2017)
