Wicked and Gladiator 2's box office preview numbers show a clear leader and clarify its comparison with Barbenheimer. Last summer, the simultaneous release of Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer and ...

The box office languished this fall after a record-breaking summer, though the trifecta of “Wicked,” “Gladiator II” and “Moana 2” are expected to be big hits this month.

Universal Pictures’ “Wicked” needed no lessons in how to be popular at the domestic box office this weekend, opening at No. 1 to the tune of $114 million, according to studio estimates.

NEW YORK — 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 ...

Studio projections are lower, putting “Gladiator II” around $60 million and “Wicked” around $100 million. “‘Wicked’ is the one that’s really moving up.

In a box office battle of the sexes, “Wicked” attracted mostly women and arrived to $114 million in North America, while “Gladiator II” was more popular with men and collected $56 million.

With the historical epic "Gladiator II" and pink-tinged musical "Wicked" debuting on the same weekend later this year, there's real potential for another "Barbenheimer" double-feature phenomenon.

"Wicked" and "Gladiator II" are both worth the price of admission (and maybe even of a popcorn and soda). Ultimately, it boils down to whether you have a strong preference for or against musicals.

“‘Wicked’ is the one that’s really moving up. ‘Gladiator II’ has been consistent,” said Daniel Loria, editorial director and senior vice president of content strategy at Boxoffice Pro.

'Wicked' is set to capture females in its opening weekend with $80M while 'Gladiator II' is eyeing $65M with men and older women in the pre-Thanksgiving frame.

Two big-budget films are set to battle at the box office: Wicked offers a gravity-defying origin story for the Wicked Witch of the West, while Gladiator II revisits the violence of ancient Rome.