Ariana Grande in a scene from the movie ‘Wicked’.
Kathmandu. The musical adaptation ‘Wicked’ and the action film ‘Gladiator 2’ have brought a boom at the global box office. These two have made the international market of films, which has been slow lately, running.
In the last weekend, the combined ticket sales of these two films is 270.2 million dollars. Hollywood media has said that it is being gifted to cinema houses in ‘Bida Yam’.
A strong comeback at the box office has brought relief to Hollywood. In recent years, Hollywood producers and studios have been cutting costs and staffing. As consumers gravitate towards video streaming platforms, studios are in trouble.
“As moviegoers and box office pundits await the weekend’s results, no one is disappointed,” said Chris Aronson, president of distribution company Paramount Pictures.
Universal Pictures’ film ‘Wicked’ has been at the top of the North American and international markets for the last week. It has grossed $114 million in US and Canadian theaters. It grossed $164.2 million worldwide, earning $50.2 million in the international market.
The opening of this musical style film called ‘Broadway musical’ is the highest ever in this genre, according to the distributor Universal. It has also surpassed the earnings of the studio’s 2012 film ‘Les Miserable’.
Paramount’s ‘Gladiator 2’ earned $106 million worldwide. Its earnings in North America are $55.5 million. This is the second series of Paramount’s films, which won the best Oscar at the Oscars two decades ago.
Fans call these two films ‘Glicked’. The two films combined to gross $169.5 million at the domestic box office, leading to $169.5 million at the weekend box office. According to ComScore, this is the highest weekend opening since ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ in July.
Earlier, ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’, which were released in 2024, rescued Hollywood, which was in crisis due to the epidemic and the strike of writers and actors. However, it shocked the market after the flops of expected films like ‘Joker: Folly a Deux’ and ‘Venom: The Last Dance’.
The latest earnings have come as a relief to global chains such as AMC Theatres, Cineplex and Cinemark. Jun chains are currently preparing for the worldwide release of Disney’s upcoming animated film ‘Moana 2’ next Friday.
“These earnings are a big catalyst for a strong box office in December and into the new year,” Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theater Directors, told Reuters. Movie ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada have fallen below the levels of the Covid-19 pandemic as theaters face disruptions from streaming platforms and the Hollywood strike.
Studio and theater owners are hopeful that ‘Moana 2’ will lead to strong business in the coming weekend. Other films due before the end of 2024 include Walt Disney’s ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’, Paramount’s ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3′ and Searchlight Pictures’ ‘A Complete Unknown’ starring Timothée Chalamet as musician Bob Dylan.
