Wicked,” a Universal Pictures release, brought in an estimated $164.2 million worldwide in its first weekend, according to data from industry tracker Comscore, registering the biggest opening for a movie based on a Broadway adaptation.

Over a year since the Barbenheimer phenomenon took place, now its time for Wicked and Gladiator II to take its place.

Wicked” and “Gladiator II” both drew less in Thursday previews than their “Barbenheimer” counterparts, but are still expected to help the fall box office.

Wicked and Gladiator II collectively brought in $270.2 million in global box office, reminiscent of how Barbie and Oppenheimer broke bank last year.

The ‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator 2’ double-bill may not have lived up to 2023’s Barbenheimer hype, but it still managed to breathe life back into a struggling box office

Wicked and Gladiator 2 — aka Glicked, according to entertainment industry hopefuls desperate for a repeat of last year’s Barbenheimer box office behemoth — have each enjoyed huge launches. According to Variety,