The films “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” anticipated to rejuvenate the fall box office, premiered on Friday, drawing substantial revenue from Thursday previews. Despite this, they did not surpass the Thursday preview earnings of last year’s summer hits “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” which were part of the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Wicked,” featuring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, garnered $11 million in Thursday previews, while “Gladiator II,” starring Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal, earned $6.5 million.
Projections from BoxOfficeMojo suggest that “Wicked” could achieve an opening weekend gross between $100 million and $110 million, potentially ranking it as the third-best opening weekend of the year. In contrast, “Gladiator II” is expected to open with around $65 million.
Although these preview figures are impressive, they fall short of the “Barbenheimer” weekend, where “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” amassed $22.3 million and $10.5 million, respectively.
The overall box office performance of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” sets a high benchmark, with “Barbie” achieving $1.4 billion globally and “Oppenheimer” nearing $1 billion with $976 million in worldwide earnings.