Wicked,' 'Gladiator II' Dominates Box Office With $270M in Sales, Thanks to Big Marketing Push

Wicked reportedly attracted more female audiences while Gladiator II appealed to men.

By Thea Felicity

Nov 25 2024, 09:51 AM EST

BRITAIN-ENTERTAINMENT-CINEMA-WICKED — US singer Ariana Grande (L) and Nigerian-British actor Cynthia Erivo (R) pose upon arrival for the European Premiere of the film "Wicked" at the Royal Festival Hall in central London on November 18, 2024. BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images

The worldwide box office meets theater nerds and Roman Empire enthusiasts with 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator' topping global ticket sales.

Considered the busiest weekends of the year, the two much-awaited movies raked in a total of $270 million.

AP News detailed that the Broadway musical adaptation of Wicked, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, made $114 million domestically and $164.2 million globally. This is the third-highest opening of the year, after Deadpool and Wolverine.

Meanwhile, Gladiator II, the long-anticipated sequel of the 2000 Oscar-winning film, runs at a domestic box office of $55.5 million and $50.5 million worldwide. Although it did not manage to reach an estimated number of $60 million on home turf, its performance around the globe has kept its numbers strong.

Wicked and Gladiator II's Marketing

The release of both films has been supported with huge marketing stints. Wicked, in particular, boasted numerous global partnerships and promotional events. Similarly, the strategies used by Gladiator II were novel, like its partnership with Airbnb and an unprecedented one-minute trailer campaign across various platforms.

Both heavily relied on large-scale campaigns to generate awareness and attract audiences, which ensured the film was inescapable across multiple platforms, creating widespread anticipation.

One of the best marketing the film industry has seen was in Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie.' Variety shared that the film's campaign focused on cultural moments, integrating meme culture, influencer collaborations, and even viral moments like the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon. This not only generated immense buzz before release but also kept audiences engaged well beyond opening weekend.

For Wicked and Gladiator II, although the genres and audiences for films were different, the two movies did a good job of bringing back the already-lost momentum at the box office. Wicked was particularly successful as the film attracted mostly a female audience, whereas Gladiator II attracted a more male-driven crowd.

Looking ahead, Moana 2 is scheduled for release soon and Hollywood looks forward to building further momentum around the Thanksgiving holidays.