- Universal has moved Wicked's release date to the same date as Gladiator II.
- Fans are saying that these two films are the new “Balbenheimer.”
- But it will likely need to make more than $2 billion to compete with the previous blockbuster double feature.
With two blockbuster movies, “Wicked” and “Gladiator 2,” due for release on the same day, there may be a new “Babenheimer” in town.
Last year, the opposite movie “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” coincidentally were released on July 21st. This spawned a major cultural moment known as “Barbenheimer,” when moviegoers began watching double features and breathed new life into a struggling film industry.
Sources told Business Insider's Jason Guerrasio last July that “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan was upset about the schedule conflict. “Barbie” actress and producer Margot Robbie told Variety, “A showdown between actorsLast December, she received a call from the producers of “Oppenheimer” trying to change the release date of the “Oppenheimer” series, but she declined.
Despite concerns about the conflict, “Barbie” was a huge success: “Barbie” became Warner Bros.' highest-grossing film of all time, and “Oppenheimer” became the highest-grossing biopic of all time. Together, the two films grossed more than $2 billion.
Universal announced Monday that it was moving the release date of “Wicked” from Nov. 27 to Nov. 22 so that it would overlap with Paramount's “Gladiator II.” Moviegoers are now calling these films the new “Babenheimer.”
Other fans Clearly an attempt to recreate the Barbenheimer phenomenon.
Last year, some fans noticed that Saw X and Paw Patrol The Movie had the same release date and tried to release Saw Patrol, but it didn't generate the same buzz as Babenheimer.
“Wicked” and “Gladiator 2” would probably be more successful.
Directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, House of Gucci), Gladiator II is the sequel to one of the biggest hit movies of the 2000s, and it's already got a fanbase: Gladiator won five Oscars in 2000 and grossed $465 million at the box office, according to Box Office Mojo.
Featuring popular actors. Gladiator 2, starring Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington, has the potential to be an even bigger success.
Meanwhile, “Wicked” is the first in a two-part film adaptation by director Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “Step Up 2 Street”) of one of the world's most famous musicals, which Variety magazine reported last year has grossed more than $5 billion worldwide since its release. It premiered in 2003.
It has become harder for non-Disney musicals to sell in theaters, but “Wicked” The star power of Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum and Jonathan Bailey could attract new fans.
If “The Wickiator” (or “Gladiked” or “Glicked”?) becomes a cultural moment like “Barbenheimer,” it would be a welcome boost for Paramount, Universal and movie theaters after a lackluster summer so far.
Promoting these films as a double feature could help them compete with another highly anticipated movie, “Moana 2,” which opens on Nov. 27.
Either way, if the double feature hopes to replicate the success of Babenheimer, it will have to clear the $2 billion hurdle.
