Gladiator IIandWickedposter art imagines the next Barbenheimer in the form of “Glicked.” The theatrical world was rocked last summer with the release of Christopher Nolan’sOppenheimerand Greta Gerwig’sBarbieon the same day, a move that ultimately helped both films succeed.Now,Ridley Scott’sGladiator 2, a sequel to his 2000 epic, andJohn M. Chu’sWicked, 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.
ArtistEqartiofPoster Escapenow shares a new post on X, formerly Twitter, with two poster designs celebrating the impending release of bothGladiator 2andWicked, a dual release he dubs Glicked. “[G]oodbye barbenheimer, it’s time for glicked,” Eqarti writes in his caption.
The first poster design featuresGladiator 2star 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 iconicWickedplay poster, with Ariana Grande’s Glinda whispering into Lucius' ear. Check out the two high-res poster designs, which the artist provided toScreen Rant, below:
What Gladiator 2 & Wicked’s Shared Release Date Means For Both Films
Is Another Barbenheimer On The Horizon?
The shared release date forOppenheimerandBarbiewas 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.Oppenheimerreviewswere glowing, as were those forBarbie, 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.
Where To Watch Gladiator Before Gladiator 2 Comes Out
Before Gladiator 2 arrives in theaters, it’s the perfect time to revisit Ridley Scott’s first Gladiator movie, so where is it streaming online?
This seems unlikely to be the case forGladiator 2andWicked.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 earlyreviews forGladiator 2have been generally positive, which is a promising sign, but no reviews have yet emerged forWicked. 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.
Gladiator 2currently has a 76% critics' score onRotten Tomatoes.
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 thatGladiator 2andWickedare at odds in the same way tonally and in terms of target demographics thatOppenheimerandBarbiewere, 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 II
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.
Wicked
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.
