Move over, Barbenheimer. There’s a new battle of the box office in town: “Glicked”.
Last weekend, blockbuster Gladiator II, hit the cinemas and scored the highest-ever international opening for a Ridley Scott film, taking $87m – breaking a new record.
But whilst worldwide audiences were certainly entertained by the much-awaited sequel, betting sites predict that Universal Pictures’ Wicked is set to surpass this figure and reach the plus $100 million mark, internationally.
So, will the gladiators take victory in the battle of the box office? Or do the witches have the upper hand? These are the latest odds according to the American online sportsbooks…
Gladiator II vs Wicked: Which Movie Will Get The Highest Opening Weekend Box Office?
Last weekend’s record-breaking box office debut may not be 2024’s “Roman Empire”, after all…
According to The Independent, the movie saw an “astounding $87m global opening surpass all other opening weekends for Scott, whose highest-grossing film The Martian (2015) debuted at $54.3m internationally.”
Of this figure, the UK made up an impressive $11.4m from 722 locations. And speaking of records, the debut also makes for Paramount Pictures’ highest-ever international opening weekend for an R-rated film. Quite the achievement.
But, by the looks of the betting sites, Gladiator II is at a rather prickly +300 to take the highest opening weekend box office in the battle of “Glicked.”
In the words of Lucius’ father, Maximus: “Are you not entertained?!”
Prepare to be entertained. Get tickets for #GladiatorII now – only in theatres November 22 https://t.co/10uxGQ2pzb pic.twitter.com/7pQvQ3pBLD
— Gladiator Movie (@GladiatorMovie) November 11, 2024
Will it be Wicked that’s flying through to first place?
As we fast approach the opening weekend of the much-awaited musical adaptation, bookies predict that it’ll be Wicked that achieves the highest debut box office figures of the week (and 2024 for that matter) – at -250.
In fact, the movie is heading to lead with a dazzling $100 million debut at this weekend’s opening, which would far surpass the gladiators.
But who is driving this figure? Well, given the musical’s cult-following on both Broadway and the West End, it appears that the ‘theatre kids’ will be driving cinema ticket sales this weekend.
Variety reports that the “Oz-themed marketing campaign” and “and enough brand partnerships (more than 400 in total) to fill Emerald City” has also hugely influenced the upcoming film’s estimated figures – with some professionals predicting that “ticket sales could fly to $130 million in its first weekend of release.” Defying gravity and expectations!
The Emerald City made its way to London for the final stop on the #WickedMovie tour! ???? See it in theaters in just three days! pic.twitter.com/0HGx9o8uVM
— Wicked Movie (@wickedmovie) November 19, 2024
Wicked could make Cynthia Erivo an EGOT winner…
Speaking of breaking records, the box office figures aren’t the only achievement that Wicked‘s debut could bring. According to betting sites, there’s a high chance that the movie could bring about Cynthia Erivo’s first-ever Oscar – making her an EGOT winner.
Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba ?? New #WickedMovie trailer tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/ZBMWayzDQu
— Wicked Movie (@wickedmovie) September 4, 2024
What is ‘EGOT’?
Put simply, ‘EGOT’ is the achievement of having won all four of the major American performing arts awards: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony.
It’s the ultimate “grand slam” in the entertainment industry – and only 21 stars to date have ever achieved such a feat, including Elton John, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jennifer Hudson and Whoopi Goldberg.
Many celebrities are just one away from the EGOT status, but who will be the next to join the elite status? Bookies have their say…
‘Glicked’: Next Celeb to Get an EGOT Award Odds
Elphaba to bring it home for Cynthia?
According to betting sites, Cynthia Erivo is the new lead contender to be the world’s next EGOT winner at -110.
This comes as experts predict she’s in line for an Oscar nomination for her performance in Wicked, which will be announced on 17th January 2025.
Since Cynthia already has an Emmy, Grammy and a Tony for her spectacular performance in The Color Purple (2017), fans think she’s now got the Acadamy Award in the bag. But only time will tell…
Cynthia’s competition
It’s not a total certain for Cynthia though, as many other celebrities are only one away from an EGOT.
Also in the mix are Hugh Jackman +110, Adele +187.5, Kate Winslet +200, and Cher +300.
Just like Cynthia, Hugh Jackman only needs an Oscar to join the EGOT club, and he has a number of upcoming films in 2025 and 2026 which could help him achieve victory. Meanwhile, Adele only needs a Tony award to reach the status. However, the 16 x Grammy winner announced a ‘big break’ from music last summer, so it might be a little while until we see anything new from Adele….
‘Glicked’: Which movie is set to get the “prequel treatment” next?
Even before visiting the cinema, it’s clear that Gladiator II is the much-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s legendary Gladiator (2000), featuring Russell Crowe.
But, did you know that Wicked is technically a prequel to the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz, featuring Judy Garland? As many theatre fans will explain, the stage show – and now the blockbuster movie – follows the untold story of the rise of the Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivo’s character). Don’t worry, we’ll leave the spoilers out…
Betting sites believe that Wicked is setting the trend of creating prequels to classic tales that we all know and love. We’ve already seen huge success from the Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) and fantasy fans are now counting down the days until the next instalment, surrounding Haymitch Abernathy’s story.
But what other beloved franchises deserve to get the “prequel treatment”? The predictions are in…
Next Movie Prequel Odds?
Only time will tell what other box office delights we have to enjoy. One thing’s for sure, we’ve got our broomsticks and we’re ready to fly to the cinemas this weekend for the opening of the musical epic, Wicked.
Wicked premiered at the State Theatre in Sydney, Australia on November 3, 2024 and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the UK and United States on November 22, 2024.
* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.
