'Glicked' Forces Box Office to Surrender: 'Wicked' & 'Gladiator II' Are Major Hits

Move over, "Barbenheimer" — "Glicked" is casting a spell on moviegoers!

The long-awaited release of both Universal's big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical "Wicked" and Paramount's "Gladiator II" sequel has dropped a house on the box office, leading to a projected $46.7M in sales for the former and $22M for the latter, just from preview and Friday showings alone.

Deadline reports the films are receiving excellent word of mouth from early takers.

One booker told Deadline that all other films are "getting crushed. Theater managers are just pulling titles off showtimes and giving them to those two films."

Perks offered at some cinemas include Roman guards as ushers for "Gladiator II" screenings, and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's marketing of "Defying Gravi-Tea," named for "Wicked's" famous "Defying Gravity" number.

Universal is looking at a $165M global opening for "Wicked." "Gladiator II" already has $130M in overseas business, meaning it should make around $200M this weekend.