With a combined $270 million in worldwide ticket sales, “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” breathed fresh life into a box office that has struggled lately, leading to one of the busiest moviegoing weekends of the year. Jon M. Chu’s lavish big-budget musical “Wicked,” starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, debuted with $114 million domestically and $164.2 million globally for Universal Pictures, according to studio estimates Sunday. That made it the third-biggest opening weekend of the year, behind only “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Inside Out 2.” It’s also a record for a Broadway musical adaptation. Two Hollywood films, “Wicked” and “Red One”, set to premiere in Bangladesh Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” a sequel to his 2000 best picture-winning original, launched with $55.5 million in ticket sales. With a price tag of around $250 million to produce it, “Gladiator II” was a big bet by Paramount Pictures to return to the Colosseum with a largely new cast, led by Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal. While it opened with a touch less than the $60 million predicted in domestic ticket sales, “Gladiator II” has performed well overseas. It added $50.5 million internationally. The collision of the two movies led to some echoes of the “Barbenheimer” effect of last year, when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” launched simultaneously. The nickname this time, “Glicked,” wasn’t quite as catchy and the cultural imprint also was notably less. Few people sought out a double feature this time. The domestic grosses in 2023 — $162 million for “Barbie” and $82 million for “Oppenheimer” — also were higher. “Glicked” falls short of “Barbenheimer”For Universal, which distributed “Oppenheimer" last year, the weekend was more a triumph of “Wicked" than it was of “Glicked.” “We saw an opportunity to dominate a weekend and get a very large running start into the Thanksgiving holiday," said Jim Orr, distribution chief for Universal. "We're very confident that it will play ridiculously well through the Christmas corridor and into the new year.” But the counter-programming effect was still potent for “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” which likewise split broadly along gender lines. And it was again the female-leaning release — “Wicked,” like “Barbie” before it — that easily won the weekend. About 72% of ticket buyers for “Wicked” were female, while 61% of those seeing “Gladiator II” were male. “Standing on their own, each of these movies may have done pretty much what they did, but it’s hard to know,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “Raising awareness can indeed lead to an increase in box office. Let’s put it this way: They didn’t hurt each other at all.” Massive marketing campaigns paved the way for opening weekendWhile “Barbenheimer” benefitted enormously from meme-spread word-of-mouth, both “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” leaned on all-out marketing blitzes. The “Gladiator II” campaign featured everything from a much-debated Airbnb cross-promotion with the actual Colosseum in Rome to simultaneously running a one-minute trailer on more than 4,000 TV networks, radio station and digital platforms. The “Wicked” onslaught went even further, with pink and green themed “Wickedly Delicious” Starbucks drinks, Stanley mugs and Mattel dolls (some of which led to an awkward recall ). Its stars made appearances at the Met Gala and the Olympics. “We had roughly 400 global brand partners on ‘Wicked,’ so the campaign was inescapable, said Orr. “And our cast, led by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, worked so hard on this. They were everywhere. They did everything we asked them to do.” Going into the weekend, box office was down about 11% from last year and some 25% from pre-pandemic times. That meant this week's two headline films led a much-needed resurgence for theaters. With “Moana 2” releasing Wednesday, Hollywood might be looking at historic sales over the Thanksgiving holiday. The two films boosted sluggish box office performance“This weekend’s two strong openers are invigorating a box office that fell apart after a good summer,” said David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter for Franchise Entertainment. Though “Wicked” will face some direct competition from “Moana 2,” it would seem better set up for a long and lucrative run in theaters than “Gladiator II.” Though some have dinged “Wicked” for running long, at 2 hours and 40 minutes, the film has had mostly stellar reviews. Audiences gave it an “A” on CinemaScore. The reception for “Wicked” has been strong enough that Oscar prognosticators expect it to be a contender for best picture at the Academy Awards, among other categories. Producers, perhaps sensing a hit, also took the step of splitting “Wicked” in two. Part two, already filmed, is due out next November. Each “Wicked” installation cost around $150 million to make. “Gladiator II” has also enjoyed good reviews, particularly for Washington's charismatic performance. Audience scores, though, were weaker, with ticket buyers giving it a “B” on CinemaScore. The film will make up for some of that, however, with robust international sales. It launched in many overseas markets a week ago, and has already accrued $165.5 million internationally. Coming in a distant third place for the weekend was “Red One,” the Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans holiday movie turned action film. In its second week of release, the Amazon MGM Studios release grossed $13.3 million to bring its two-week global haul to $117 million. At a cost of $250 million to make, “Red One” is the season's biggest flop, though it could recoup some value for Amazon if it's more popular once it begins streaming. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: 1. "Wicked," $114 million. 2. “Gladiator II,” $55.5 million. 3. “Red One,” $13.3 million. 4. “Bonhoeffer: Pastor Spy Assassin," $5.1 million. 5. “Venom: The Last Dance,” $4 million. 6. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” $3.5 million. 7. “Heretic,” $2.2 million. 8. “The Wild Robot,” $2 million. 9. “Smile 2,” $1.1 million. 10. “A Real Pain,” $1.1 million.

Star Cineplex is gearing up to bring two much-anticipated Hollywood films to Bangladeshi screens this Friday, November 22: the epic musical fantasy “Wicked” and the Christmas-themed action-comedy “Red One”. Directed by Jon M. Chu, “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Grammy-winning pop sensation Ariana Grande in lead roles. The supporting cast boasts a star-studded lineup, including Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. The film is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, which was itself inspired by Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel. This is the first of a two-part cinematic adaptation produced by Universal Pictures and Marc Platt. The decision to split the story into two parts ensures no key plot points or songs from the stage production are excluded. “Wicked” premiered on November 3 at the State Theatre in Sydney, Australia, where it received positive reviews. Critics have praised Ariana Grande's performance, with many calling it one of the standout elements of the film. For those seeking festive cheer with an action-packed twist, “Red One” offers a fresh take on Christmas. Directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Chris Morgan, the movie features Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and “Captain America” star Chris Evans in lead roles. The plot centers on an ambitious mission to rescue Santa Claus, played by Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons, after his abduction on Christmas Eve. Johnson portrays Callum Drift, the head of North Pole security, while Evans takes on the role of Jack O'Malley, a notorious hacker turned bounty hunter. Together, they navigate a high-stakes adventure to save Christmas. The film also features Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Nick Kroll, Kristofer Hivju, and Wesley Kimmel in key roles. Produced by Amazon MGM Studios in collaboration with Seven Bucks Productions and Chris Morgan Productions, “Red One” has been touted as the beginning of a potential holiday franchise. Released internationally on November 15 by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film has already garnered attention for its unique premise and dynamic performances. Star Cineplex anticipates that both films will captivate Bangladeshi audiences in the coming weeks. With “Wicked” offering a sweeping musical narrative and “Red One” delivering a festive action-comedy spectacle, moviegoers are in for a treat this holiday season.