Gladiator II and Wicked poster art imagines the next Barbenheimer in the form of “Glicked.” The theatrical world was rocked last summer with the release of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie on the same day, a move that ultimately helped both films succeed. Now, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2, a sequel to his 2000 epic, and John M. Chu’s Wicked, an adaptation of the stage musical, are both set to release in theaters on November 22, leading to speculation regarding whether these two films could be the next Barbenheimer.
Artist Eqarti now shares a new post on X, formerly Twitter, with two poster designs celebrating the impending release of both Gladiator 2 and Wicked, a dual release he dubs Glicked. The first poster design features Gladiator 2 star Paul Mescal, who plays Lucius, standing next to Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba before the Emerald City. The second poster design puts a spin on the iconic Wicked play poster, with Ariana Grande’s Glinda whispering into Lucius’ ear. Check out the poster designs below:
“[G]oodbye barbenheimer, it’s time for glicked,” Eqarti writes in his caption.
What Gladiator 2 & Wicked’s Shared Release Date Means For Both Films
Is Another Barbenheimer On The Horizon?
The shared release date for Oppenheimer and Barbie was originally seen as a challenge. What started as rivalry between the two films, however, soon blossomed into a celebration, and audiences flocked to theaters to see both. Oppenheimer reviews were glowing, as were those for Barbie, and this helped to keep both films strong at the box office for months after their initial release, with the former grossing an astonishing $975 million worldwide while the latter grossed $1.446 billion.
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This seems unlikely to be the case for Gladiator 2 and Wicked. The viral component of Barbenheimer is what helped drive the movies to success, but Glicked hasn’t really caught on in the same way. That being said, both movies could certainly end up being successful on their own. Wicked, especially, is shaping up to be one of the biggest box office performers of the whole year, and Scott’s sequel could also end up surprising. It’s unlikely, however, that the audience crossover between the two movies will be as strong as with Barbenheimer.
Our Take On Gladiator 2 & Wicked Opening On The Same Day
Glicked Is Coming (But It Won’t Be The Next Barbenheimer)
The early reviews for Gladiator 2 have been generally positive, which is a promising sign, but no reviews have yet emerged for Wicked. The latter, however, seems likely to perform well even if the reviews end up being somewhat soft just due to its broader appeal and the success of the musical.
The key to Barbenheimer is that it was mostly organic and spontaneous; it wasn’t manufactured. Recreating that same fervor and enthusiasm with two other movies, despite the fact that Gladiator 2 and Wicked are at odds in the same way tonally and in terms of target demographics that Oppenheimer and Barbie were, will be incredibly challenging. Even though Scott and Chu’s films may end up being big hits, Barbenheimer is likely not to be topped.
Source: @Eqarti
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
- Release Date
- November 22, 2024
- Distributor(s)
- Paramount Pictures
- Cast
- Paul Mescal , Pedro Pascal , Denzel Washington , Connie Nielsen , Joseph Quinn , Fred Hechinger , Derek Jacobi , May Calamawy , Peter Mensah , Matt Lucas , Alexander Karim , Tim McInnerny , Lee Charles , Chidi Ajufo , Alfie Tempest , Riana Duce , Chi Lewis Parry , Paul Candelent , Hadrian Howard , Alexander Simkin , Mikhail Basmadjian , Matthew Charlery-Smith , Maxime Durand , Lior Raz
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
- Director
- Jon M. Chu
- Release Date
- November 22, 2024
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures
- Cast
- Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Michelle Yeoh , Jeff Goldblum , Jonathan Bailey , Ethan Slater , Marissa Bode , Bowen Yang , Bronwyn James , Keala Settle , Peter Dinklage , Aaron Teoh , Grecia De la Paz , Colin Michael Carmichael , Adam James , Andy Nyman , Courtney Mae-Briggs , Sharon D. Clarke , Jenna Boyd