“Wicked” is pocketing lots of green, with the Universal release coming in on the upper side of projections to head toward the third-biggest domestic opening of the year. Now forecasting a $117 million sum for the weekend, that’d only be behind “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($211 million) and “Inside Out 2” ($151 million) among 2024 releases. And Paramount’s “Gladiator II” is no slouch either, landing in second place with a projected opening weekend of $60 million. Theaters should be aglow about the two debuts, after being starved of a superlative hit through the fall. The last film to open with nine-digits (or even above $60 million) was “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” nearly three months ago.
“Wicked” earned $46.7 million from 3,888 theaters across Friday and preview screenings, a good chunk of which were held earlier in the week than Thursday, which is the traditional kick-off for a new release. Although the big-screen adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical landed the third-biggest opening day of the year, it comes with the caveat. Take out the $7.9 million head-start it got from Monday and Wednesday screenings and “Wicked” falls just behind the $41.5 million opening day of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
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That’s a successful payout for what has been a substantial investment for Universal, which has gradually ramped up a months-long marketing blitz for “Wicked” throughout the fall. Produced at a $150 million budget, the Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande musical is proving to be the season-defining blockbuster that the studio believed it could be. Ticket revenue is also being boosted by play in premium large-format auditoriums (though “Gladiator II” has the bulk of Imax showtimes).
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Critics flipped for the Jon M. Chu-directed return to Oz, and audiences are enthusiastic too. Moviegoer pollster Cinema Score turned in an approving “A” grade after surveying early ticket-buyers. The PG-rated “Wicked” will see some competition for family audiences and musical lovers when “Moana 2” hits theaters next week. But with such a strong response and a good deal of awards buzz, it is supremely positioned for the long haul after turning in a terrific opening. And all the better, as Universal will bow another $150 million “Wicked” entry, which adapts and expands on the Broadway show’s second act, on the same pre-Thanksgiving weekend next year.
As it was with the now fabled simultaneous launch of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” last summer, this weekend’s moody, R-rated contender is settling for a splashy second place on domestic charts. Paramount’s “Gladiator II” sliced off $22 million from 3,573 venues across Friday and preview screenings, now eyeing a $60 million sum for its North American debut. It’ll be the best opening ever for director Ridley Scott, beating out the $58 million sum for his 2001 thriller “Hannibal.” (Funnily enough, that was also a years-in-the-works sequel to a best picture Oscar winner). It’s also on track for the biggest November opening ever for an R-rated feature.
At a massive production budget of $250 million, plus a globe-trotting marketing spend, “Gladiator II” is banking on extended play through the final weeks of the year, as well as healthy ticket sales overseas. It got off to a solid start outside the states over the past week, already surpassing $131 million across 63 international markets.
Critics lean positive on the swords-and-sandals sequel, but it’s not exactly the crowdpleaser that “Wicked” is, turning in a “B” grade on Cinema Score. Grim, grown-up epics can still leg out great runs even without resounding approval from audiences — but it’s something to keep an eye on as the marketplace gets more crowded through Thanksgiving. The first “Gladiator” was the third-highest-grossing domestic release of 2000; while this sequel won’t reach a superlative like that, it could still prove to be a worthy road back to Rome.
“Gladiator II” sees Paul Mescal entering the Colosseum to search for retribution as the Roman empire teeters on collapse. Connie Nielsen reprises her role from the original film, while the new cast includes Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger and a much-praised Denzel Washington.
Also opening this weekend, Angel Studios is back in theaters with a new Euro-period piece “Bonhoeffer. Pastor. Spy. Assassin.,” about Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was, as advertised, a pastor, spy and assassin. The English-language feature follows the devout Christian’s resistance to the rise of the Third Reich, and eventual involvement in a plot to kill Adolf Hitler. Angel acquired rights to the Todd Komarnicki-directed film back in 2023.
“Bonhoeffer” is contending for fourth place on domestic charts after earning roughly $2.2 million across Friday and previews from about 1,900 locations. The three-day opening will land around $4.4 million. Angel, which burst onto the scene with its surprise smash child-trafficking thriller “Sound of Freedom” last year, has put up some notable but rather quiet performances in 2024, with three other based-on-real-life features: “Cabrini,” “Sight” and “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot.” Reviews were lukewarm for “Bonhoeffer,” but the core audience loves it, with Angel getting its usual “A” grade on Cinema Score.
Falling to third place, Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans’ holiday season smash-em-up “Red One” took in $3.3 million on Friday and is looking at $13 million for its sophomore outing. Total domestic cume will surpass $52 million through the first 10 days of release.
Amazon MGM isn’t hurting nearly as much as a traditional studio would be from that kind of result for a $250 million production. But with “Red One” looking down a less than merry decline of 58% from an already chilly opening weekend, it seems unlikely that the Christmas film can leg out a competitive run against buzzier titles. Maybe it’ll still light up streaming numbers on Prime Video and this theatrical outing can all be a rounding error to tech giant Amazon, but it’s worth questioning whether the company would spend this big on an alleged franchise-starter again, as pressure builds for streamers to prioritize profits and cut spending.
“Venom: The Last Dance” rounds out the top five, looking to slurp up another $4 million in its fifth weekend of release. After going largely uncontested as the top theatrical draw for most of the past month, Sony’s Marvel antihero spinoff is beginning to round out its final numbers. It has now surpassed $130 million domestic, far off from the $213 million finish of its predecessor “Let There Be Carnage.” But the overseas total for “The Last Dance” is past $300 million and growing, surpassing the $293 million international tally of “Carnage.”
