Interestingly, women comprised 72% of the ‘Wicked’ movie’s audiences, while 61% of the ‘Gladiator II’ viewers were male|@wickedmovie|X

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo starrer Wicked debuted with $114 million domestically and $164.2 million worldwide over the weekend, becoming the year’s third-biggest opening and setting a record for Broadway-to-film adaptations.

Meanwhile, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, featuring Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal, earned $55.5 million domestically and $50.5 million internationally.

Weekend rebound
For theater owners, the weekend was a much-needed rebound after sluggish sales. Box office numbers were down 11% from 2023 and some 25% from pre-pandemic levels.

Heavy marketing leading to the movie releases also boosted ticket sales. Wicked flooded the market with themed promotions and A-list appearances, while Gladiator II paired up with the Colosseum for Airbnb cross-promotions.

Interestingly, women comprised 72% of the musical’s audiences, while 61% of the Roman epic viewers were male.

With Moana 2 arriving this week, Hollywood could see back-to-back nine-figure openings for the first time in years.