‘Wicked’ To Cast $80M+ Opening Spell, ‘Gladiator II’ To Roar $65M – Box Office Early Look

Everyone will begin returning to the movies just before Thanksgiving as Universal’s Wicked and Paramount’s Gladiator II just hit tracking with respective openings of $80M+ and $65M. Both have potential for upside, Wicked is very hot with women, and Gladiator II, the best with men, but also older women.

At $80M+, that’s easily the best domestic box office opening ever for filmmaker Jon M. Chu, ahead of G.I. Joe Retaliation ($41M), and yes, the best ever for Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

At $65M+ for Gladiator II, that’s a record opening for Denzel Washington and for director Ridley Scott. Washington’s previous big bow was Scott’s American Gangster ($44M) while Scott’s previous big debut was 2001’s Hannibal with $58M.

Disney’s Moana 2 hasn’t hit 3-weekend tracking yet (only six weekend), and even though it’s bound for a $100M+ five-day, it remains to be seen how much of a dent it will make to the competition as it’s a holiday week, and everyone’s going. Black Friday is traditionally one of the richest moviegoing single days of the year.

Interesting to note that both Wicked and Gladiator II came on tracking with tied unaided awareness of 19; that’s the category whereby moviegoers cite what pics they’re going to see without any prodding from a pollster. Total awareness is essentially tied for both with low 80s numbers. Gladiator II is ahead of Wicked in total interest and first choice, indicating a broader audience beyond its dudes.

Presales for Wicked we hear are leaps and bounds ahead of Gladiator II, but that’s only because female moviegoers plan their trips to the cinema far in advance with groups. We hear that presales for Wicked are double that of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, but behind that of Taylor Swift: Eras Tour. For Universal, Wicked is their Jurassic World for the year; they’ve been shouting this adaptation of the stage show in Summer Olympic and Super Bowl spots. Early reactions from screenings for both titles are red hot with Wicked Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth praising “Y’ALL WON’T EVEN BELIEVE HOW GOOD IT IS.” The actress also could not confirm or deny she’s making a cameo in Wicked.

As the world already knows, Wicked was split into two parts by Universal with part two hitting theaters on Nov. 21, 2025. Originally, Wicked was squaring off against Disney’s Moana 2 on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving before moving onto Gladiator II‘s opening date.