As hard as Paramount, Universal, and fandoms at large tried to turn Wicked and Gladiator II’s shared opening weekend into a Barbenheimer-esque event, there was no denying that these two titles did not mash up nearly as well.

Universal’s Wicked achieved strong domestic box office success, setting records as the largest 2024 opening for a non-sequel film. It also reached key milestones for a Broadway musical adaptation. The film performed well globally,

The double-feature formula that propelled last year’s ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ was put to the test again with a mashup between Broadway and ancient Rome. Last year, Warner Bros.’s Barbie and Universal’s Oppenheimer revitalized the box office with their same-day openings,