Unless you’ve been hibernating and/or doom-scrolling–both distinct possibilities in my circle–you’re likely aware that we’re now mere days away from the official kickoff to the holiday movie season. Perhaps the most anticipated date will be a week from Friday, when we get two simultaneous theatrical releases of movies with strong history and titular recognition. Universal will finally be releasing WICKED, giving the legendary Broadway musical a far wider pulpit and throwing in Ariana Grande’s impressive fan base to boot. And Paramount, which needs any good news it can muster, will finally be giving its GLADIATOR franchise, and its storied director Ridley Scott, a sequel, a mere two dozen years after the original.
Both studios have been following a playbook that has worked for them previously. Paramount was able to inject new life into an even older title, TOP GUN, with the billion dollar box office return of MAVERICK in 2022. And Universal has been promoting WICKED across virtually all of its assets since this summer’s Paris Olympics and has now reached a promotional ubiquitousness not seen since BARBIE dominated the ramp-up cycle of last summer. They merely had pink in their palate; WICKED has usurped that and added lime green. And you thought Christmas was the exclusive domain of darker hues.
BARBIE was able to somehow combine its fan base with the unlikely partnership with OPPENHEIMER, a historical period piece that hit theatres on the exact same day in late July. BARBENHEIMER, as it was known, worked like a charm for both Universal and Warner Brothers. So it’s no surprise that the desire to see a similar synergy has been brewing for months. CNN’s Scottie Andrew teased the possibility exactly four months ago:
This year, two disparate, big-budget films will share a release date: One, an R-rated historical epic stacked with a starry cast of Oscar hopefuls. The other, a musical based on a beloved property with plenty of pink and a Billboard-friendly soundtrack.
Sound familiar?
(M)ovie theaters are nearing their truest chance at another “Barbenheimer,” a viral phenomenon that in 2023 drove audiences to the movie theater by the millions, leaving a massive mark in pop culture and at the box office.
There’s apparently been some debate as to how exactly to market this opportunity. Andrew threw out this idea which has the had the incumbent position in mindset:
“Gladiator II” star Paul Mescal thinks “Glicked” (pronounced glick-id) is the portmanteau that suits the prospective double feature best. ’Wickiator’ doesn’t really roll off the tongue, does it?” he said in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight. “I think the films couldn’t be more polar opposite and kind of worked in that context previously, so fingers crossed people come out and see both films on opening weekend.”
Except on this past weekend’s SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, WEEKEND UPDATE tossed out this alternative, as DEADLINE’ Natalie Oganesyan chronicled:
(Co-anchor Colin) Jost joked about cinemas’ goal of re-creating “Barbenheimer,” the double-feature release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer in summer 2023: “Theater owners around the country are hoping to recreate the box office success of ‘Barbenheimer’ when Gladiator II and Wicked are released on the same weekend. So get ready for ‘Glad-dicked.’”
Sardonic, to be sure, especially for someone who just happens to be in the employ of a division of Universal. But Jost may have been privy to some of the early reviews for the competition/aspirational partner. THE WRAP’s William Bibbiani officially dropped his take early this morning:
They say “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” But the Romans gave a thumbs down when they didn’t like a gladiator. I’m not legally allowed to do that for Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” because somebody trademarked “thumb reviews” (thank you very much, Roger and Gene), but let’s just say the temptation was there. “Gladiator II” isn’t a complete fiasco, and God knows there are worse sword-and-sandal movies, but it isn’t a worthy follow-up to the original.
And in his newsletter that also hit inboxes this morning, DECODING AMERICA’s David Chen was only slightly more complimentary:
Gladiator II is mostly a fun time at the theater and is carried by a handful of great performances. Denzel Washington is probably the highlight here; his performance as Macrinus (a gladiator master/arms dealer of sorts who has his own designs on the throne) is a blast to watch. Macrinus is so full of swagger and cunning that you can’t help but root for him, even as he does reprehensible things to further his own ends. The function of Commodus is played this time around by two separate characters, Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), who are so over-the-top that they border on parody. As for Paul Mescal: he is thoroughly capable as the new lead of this film, but I have to say that he’s no Russell Crowe. Mescal brings great physicality and a steely resolve to his performance as Lucius, but not much else.
And while two reviews from trade critics aren’t necessarily a kiss of death, they certainly don’t help to buoy the kind of expectations which Oganesyan’s colleague Anthony D’Alessandro teased a couple of weeks back:
Wicked and Paramount’s Gladiator II just hit tracking with respective openings of $80M+ and $65M. Both have potential for upside…Wicked is very hot with women, and Gladiator II is best with men but also older women. At $80M+, that easily would be the best domestic box office opening for filmmaker Jon M. Chu, ahead of 2013’s G.I. Joe Retaliation ($41M), and yes, the best for starts Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
A pretty tall order, all the more challenging now given the reality check that both BARBIE and OPPENHEIMER enjoyed virtually unilateral raves from its respective fan bases. And frankly, summertime offers fewer distractions and alternatives to moviegoers than a holiday season where shopping and family gatherings can get in the way.
It’s not like everybody didn’t see warning signs. Andrew cited the esteemed opinion of one veteran observer back in July:
Tom Nunan, a lecturer at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and TV and the founder of the production company Bull’s Eye Entertainment, isn’t fully sold on “Barbenheimer” 2.0. “It’s good when studios release big titles simultaneously,” Nunan told CNN. “I do think that they feed off of each other –– that level of excitement. I think all of those things work in both of these films’ favor. I just don’t think it’s going to be the lightning in a bottle that ‘Barbenheimer’ was.
Maybe they’re in need of a little magic? What say you, Ariana?
Until next time…