Something ‘Wicked’ This Way Came with a ‘Gladiator’ in Tow and Grossed $169 Million

It’s a special weekend when two films open over $50 million: Distributors with potential blockbusters like to avoid each other. But here we are: “Wicked” (Universal) opened to a stellar $114 million, while estimates for “Gladiator II” (Paramount) are $55 million. Their combined $169 million U.S./Canada gross created more than 80 percent of the $207 million weekend total.

That represents about two-thirds of the “Barbie”/”Oppenheimer” July 2023 weekend ($310 million), when the two grossed $162 million and $82 million, respectively. In a remarkable replay, the female-appealing film (“Wicked,” in case there was any question) nearly doubled the male-skewing title and with similar gender ratios. “Wicked” was 71 percent female (versus “Barbie” 68 percent), “Gladiator II” 61 percent male (“Oppenheimer” was initially 64 percent male).

Like “Oppenheimer,” premium screens boosted “Gladiator II.” IMAX provided $9.4 million of its domestic total; “Wicked” saw less than half of that. By comparison, “Barbie” had fewer premium screens and no IMAX imprint.

All this comes ahead of Wednesday’s opening of “Moana 2” (Disney), which should be #1 as part of a high-end Thanksgiving holiday weekend. “Moana” will impact “Wicked” more than “Gladiator II,” but at least Jon Chu’s musical has the benefit of an A Cinemascore; Ridley Scott’s Roman sequel has a discouraging B and may be challenged by its R rating on a family-viewing weekend.

This weekend’s blockbusters are expensive. Costs for the two-part “Wicked” (title as shown on screen is “Wicked Part 1,” deemphasized in marketing) are estimated at $300 million. “Gladiator II” estimates are between $250 million to over $300 million before marketing.

‘Gladiator II’©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

Worldwide, Paramount reports $220 million so far, with most countries opening last week (China is new, with a disappointing $3 million). Unlike the U.S., there will be no holiday boost. Those territories in their second weekend saw drops of around 50 percent.

“Wicked” opened to $50 million in most of the world, but Germany and other top European markets are still to open. It seems far more likely to sustain a long run into Christmas and likely elevated awards attention. For “Gladiator II,” next weekend will be critical.

Among Scott’s many hits over a 45-year career, this is his sixth-best domestic opening (adjusting to current prices). Unadjusted, it trails “Hannibal” ($58 million).

All things considered, a 59 percent drop for the second weekend of “Red One” (Amazon MGM) doesn’t seem that bad. It placed third with $13.3 million, just under $53 million so far. It too should benefit from Thanksgiving.

In the middle of this traffic jam, Angel released “Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.,” a biopic about the anti-Nazi German theologian-turned-martyr. It placed fourth, with a respectable $5.1 million in 1,900 theaters. It isn’t a typical faith-based entry, with its strong anti-fascist angle and resistance to authoritarian government — apt at the moment.

Week three of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” (Lionsgate) had the best top 10 hold, down only 33 percent for sixth place, $3.5 million, $25 million so far. That was just behind “Venom: The Last Dance” (Sony), $4 million, $134 million so far.

The new openings took their toll on three wide specialized entries. “Conclave” (Focus) and “A Real Pain” (Searchlight) are in a virtual three-way tie for #9 with “Smile 2” (Paramount). All are at or around $1.1 million; final ranking comes with Sunday’s actuals. “Anora” (Neon) is #13, adding $675,000 to pass $12 million. “Conclave” is about $29 million, with the more recently released “Pain” at about $5 million. Once they get past this weekend, each has further potential.

‘Flow’Courtesy of Cannes

Three festival-debuted titles had platform openings, two exclusive in New York. “Flow” (Janus/Sideshow), the Latvian animated film that is the country’s International submission for the Oscars, grossed $50,764 in two theaters, including an impressive third-best figure at the AMC Burbank. With one run each in New York, Tribeca-premiered “Sabbath Queen” (Above) did $17,000, while Sundance’s award-winning documentary “Porcelain War” (Picturehouse) took in $11,200.

Among other holdovers, the surprise Filipino rom-com success “Hello, Love, Again” (Abramorama) added $1 million its second weekend, now $4.8 million — far better than any other domestic result from that country.

Top 10

1. Wicked (Universal) NEW – Cinemascore: A; Metacritic: 73; Est. budget: $150 million

$114,000,000 in 3,888 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $29,231; Cumulative: $114,000,000

2. Gladiator II (Paramount) NEW – Cinemascore: B; Metacritic: 63; Est. budget: $250 million

$55,500,000 in 3,573 theaters; PTA:; Cumulative: $55,500,000

3. Red One (Amazon MGM) Week 2; Last weekend #1

$13,285,000 (-59%) in 4,032 (no change) theaters; PTA: $3,295; Cumulative: $52,910,000

4. Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. (Angel) NEW – Cinemascore: A; Metacritic:; Est. budget: $

$5,120,000 in 1,900 theaters; PTA: $2,695; Cumulative: $5,120,000

5. Venom: The Last Dance (Sony) Week 5; Last weekend #2

$4,000,000 (-45%) in 2,558 (-863) theaters; PTA: $1,564; Cumulative: $133,825,000

6. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Lionsgate) Week 3; Last weekend #3

$3,500,000 (-33%) in 2,279 (-741) theaters; PTA: $1,536; Cumulative: $25,516,000

7. Heretic (A24) Week 3; Last weekend #4

$2,233,000 (-55%) in 1,622 (-1,608) theaters; PTA: $1,377; Cumulative: $24,767,000

8. The Wild Robot (Universal) Week 9; Last weekend #5; also on PVOD

$2,000,000 (-53%) in 2,110 (-784) theaters; PTA: $948; Cumulative: $140.727,000

9. (tie) Smile 2 (Paramount) Week 6; Last weekend #6; also on PVOD

$1,110,000 (-62%) in 952 (-1,510) theaters; PTA: $; Cumulative: $

9. (tie) A Real Pain (Searchlight)

$1,109,000 (-50%) in in 1,185 (no change) theaters; PTA: $936; Cumulative: $4,960,000

9. (tie) Conclave (Focus) Week 5; Last weekend #7

$1,100,000 (-61%) in 1,013 (-1,364) theaters; PTA: $1,086; Cumulative: $29,000,000

Other specialized/independent titles

Films (limited, expansions of limited) are listed by week in release, starting with those opened this week; after the first three weeks, only films with grosses over $5,000 are listed. Metacritic scores and initial film festivals recorded when available.

Flow (Janus/Sideshow) NEW – Metacritic: 83; Festivals include: Cannes, Toronto 2024

$50,764 in 2 theaters; PTA: $25,382

Sabbath Queen (8 Above) NEW – Metacritic:; Festivals include: Tribeca 2024

$17,500 in 1 theater; PTA: $17,500

Porcelain War (Picturehouse) NEW – Metacritic: 70; Festivals include: Sundance, Hot Docs 2024

$11,227 in 1 theater; PTA: $11,227

Hello, Love, Again (Abramorama) Week 2

$931,002 (-%) in 240 (-8) theaters; PTA: $; Cumulative: $4,727,000

All We Imagine as Light (Janus/Sideshow) Week 2

$64,986 in 19 (+16) theaters; PTA: $3,420; Cumulative: $125,312

Small Things Like These (Roadside Attractions) Week 3

$59,730 in 70 (-343) theaters; Cumulative: $1,391,000

Anora (Neon) Week 6

$675,000 in 500 (-1,000) theaters; Cumulative: $12,022,000

We Live in Time (A24) Week 7; also on PVOD

$157,248 in 263 (-897) theaters; Cumulative: $24,497,000

The Outrun (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 8; also on PVOD

$18,811 in 12 (-155) theaters; Cumulative: $988,083