- Wicked (review)- $114M
Defying gravity over the weekend was Universal’s anticipated Broadway musical adaptation, Wicked, which opened to a magical $114M domestic and $164M worldwide. The first chapter of a two-part saga, Wicked was boosted by a showing of support by the theater community, and the promotional efforts of stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Wicked had become a major cinematic event long ago, and audiences turned out in accordance. There’s a good chance it’ll stick around for a long time, too, as acclaimed was near universal. On Rotten Tomatoes it currently holds a 90% Tomatoscore and 97% on the Popcornmeter.
2. Gladiator II (review)- $55.5M
While not quite the phenomenon of last year’s Barbenheimer, the combined might of Glicked still made for a dominating box office event; the best pre-Thanksgiving weekend since 2013. Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II opened with $55M, less than half of what Wicked pulled in domestically. However, the Roman epic did far better overseas with $165M for a combined $221M. The domestic number is a career best debut for Denzel Washington, shocking as that sounds. The second best for Denzel was another Scott film, American Gangster in 2007 with $43M.
3. Red One– $13.2M/$52.9M
Sliding down the chimney into 3rd was last week’s top film, Red One, with $13.2M.The Dwayne Johnson/Chris Evans holiday actioner fell 58%, which I guess could have been a lot worse considering the one-two punch of Wicked and Gladiator II that it got jabbed with. I still think they should’ve held this into December, but what do I know? The film has $117M worldwide on a budget in the range of $250M. Oof.
4. Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.– $5.1M
The controversial faith-based drama Bonhoeffer opened with a robust $5.1M domestically. The film about German theologian, pastor, and anti-Nazi crusader Dietrich Bonhoeffer has come under fire, including from much of its cast, for being appropriated by Christian nationalists to promote an extreme right-wing agenda.
5. Venom: The Last Dance– $4M/$133.8M
6. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever– $3.5M/$25.5M
7. Heretic– $2.2M/$24.7M
8. The Wild Robot– $2M/$140.7M
9. Smile 2– $1.11M/$67.7M
10. A Real Pain– $1.1/$4.9M
