Wickedator Weekend is on as Wicked Gets Earlier Release Date in Direct Competition With Gladiator 2

Wicked has moved up its release date by 5 days, shifting it away from Disney’s Moana 2, but setting it up for a battle with the highly anticipated Gladiator II. Let’s christen this movement “Wickedator.”

Just like last summer’s unexpected and unofficial collaboration between Barbie and Oppenheimer, which saw both movies manage to attract each other’s demographic audiences and deliver the biggest success story of the post-pandemic era of cinema. The schedule for November’s releases now has Wicked and Gladiator II opening on Friday, November 22, and Moana 2 following the day before the start of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend on Wednesday, November 27.

Wicked Can Cast a Spell Over the November Box Office

The highly anticipated movie adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked has been in development for some time, and with a fanbase of millions and over $2.5 billion in theatre ticket sales behind it, the movie version is one that is going to attract a lot of attention. Directed by Jon M. Chu, known for his work on Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights, Wicked has already created plenty of buzz with its first trailers, which have already teased the performances of several key songs from the musical.

With a cast led by Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, the two witches of Oz who lead very different lives, Wicked seemed to have the late November market sewn up until Disney dropped their unexpected return of Moana to cinemas in a new sequel. Now, the first part of the musical extravaganza will be taking on a very different kind of fight against the historical epic sequel Gladiator II.

Gladiator II is Expected to Conquer Movie Charts and Awards Ceremonies

Almost 25 years ago, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator became an instant cinematic classic, earning multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe. Now Scott is back with a sequel that, like Wicked, has been in development for some time.

Gladiator II tells the story of Lucius, the son of Lucilla and nephew of Commodus, who was deeply influenced by Maximus. Paul Mescal takes the lead role, alongside a stacked cast including Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nelson, and Joseph Quinn among others. Like its predecessor, Scott’s latest historical movie will explore power, vengeance, and the idea of legacy in its epic Roman Empire setting.

Gladiator 2

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Writers

David Scarpa

Studio

Paramount Pictures, Parkes/MacDonald Image Nation, Red Wagon Films

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Wicked and Gladiator II obviously speak to very different demographics, but as seen with last year’s Barbenheimer, all it can take is a spark of magic to turn that kind of thinking on its head. Who will come out victorious will be revealed a few months down the line, when the battle of witches and gladiators commences.