Weekend Box Office 11/24 - GLADIATOR II Hovers Near Flop Status

[AndyDursin]

So much for BARBENHEIMER II...in fact GLADIATOR II -- which some were hoping for $80 million -- looks like it's sharing more in common with FURIOSA, another belated R rated sequel missing its central star power that went belly-up earlier this year.

And yes thanks to the over-marketed WICKED this is the "best non adjusted pre Thanksgiving weekend in 11 years" but they spent a fortune on these, including GLADIATOR II and it keeps getting revised down...and down...and down.

1. Wicked (Uni) 3,888 theaters, Fri $46.7M, 3-day $117M/Wk 1
2. Gladiator 2 (Par) 3,573 theaters, Fri $19M, 3-day $55M/Wk 1
3. Red One (AMZ MGM) 4,032 theaters, Fri $3.3M (-69%) 3-day $13M (-59%), Total $52.6M/Wk 2
4. Bonhoeffer…(Angel) 1,900 theaters, Fri $2.3M 3-day $4.65M /Wk 1
5. Venom: The Last Dance (Sony) 2,558 (-863) theaters, Fri $975k (-38%) 3-day $4M (-45%), Total $133.8M/Wk 5
6. Best Christmas Pageant Ever (LG) 2,279 (-741) theaters, Fri $920K (-33%) 3-day $3.5M (-33%), Total $25.5M/Wk 3

[Monterey Jack]

Red One is basically going to be gone from theaters weeks before the holiday it's purportedly attached to.

[AndyDursin]

That's a tepid opening for Wicked also given the budget and promotion. But that may play for a while who knows.

[TaranofPrydain]

That's a tepid opening for Wicked also given the budget and promotion. But that may play for a while who knows.

Considering though that it is a musical that isn't an animated film or a Disney film , it's a solid opening. It more or less tripled the previous opening record for a non-Disney live-action musical. (At least they didn't try to hide that it was, unlike some other recent films).

Gladiator on the other hand, that one is pretty much dead. There is no way that one can make its $300 million budget back.

[TaranofPrydain]

Red One is basically going to be gone from theaters weeks before the holiday it's purportedly attached to.

Undoubtedly.

[AndyDursin]

Worth noting Wicked is officially the most expensive project ever set up in the history of Universal, reportedly they've spent $350 million between the two parts and that doesn't include the marketing which has been ENDLESS.

https://screenrant.com/wicked-part-1-2- ... al-record/

True its not sequel or a Disney movie but it is a well known "brand" basically already as the show itself was a huge hit and this movie was endlessly promoted like it was a Disney release. It had a built in audience already.

They may end up being fine if it plays all for the next month but they may not if its frontloaded and everybody goes and thats it. Either way given it's out on 4000 screens with zero competition in terms of programming that opening is not all that impressive given the investment and hype.

[Monterey Jack]

They may end up being fine if it plays all for the next month but they may not if its frontloaded and everybody goes and thats it. Either way given it's out on 4000 screens with zero competition in terms of programming that opening is not all that impressive given the investment and hype.

It doesn't help how many a$$holes are recording entire sequences from the film with their phones and sharing them on social media. Didn't recording or taking pics of the screen in a movie theater used to be considered, um, illegal? Don't studios and theaters worry about this, that people on the fence about a movie won't go when they can watch large chunks of it for free? Why buy the cow. etc...



Imagine someone pulling out a clunky camcorder and recording the dinosaur scenes from Jurassic Park in 1993 and selling copies of the VHS tape to friends. You think that might have cut into the movie's profits, somewhat...?

[AndyDursin]

Only 400? I could've sworn it was more.

[AndyDursin]

Imagine someone pulling out a clunky camcorder and recording the dinosaur scenes from Jurassic Park in 1993 and selling copies of the VHS tape to friends. You think that might have cut into the movie's profits, somewhat...?

This is what goes on now with these Broadway shows that aren't really musicals so much as they are "revues" with people in the audience singing along with tunes they already know. That and the whole "me me me me me me me me me me" social media thing where people think others give a crap about their reactions to watching a movie or whatever.

It's pretty clear WICKED has little to offer heterosexual men. Here's more evidence of cringe:

[Monterey Jack]

Moana 2 bringing in mo' money.

[Paul MacLean]

DP John Mathieson is quoted as critical of Ridley Scott's production process, which calls "lazy"...

https://screenrant.com/gladiator-2-movi ... criticism/


Mathiesen claims his comments were taken out of context...

https://petapixel.com/2024/12/04/gladia ... r-as-lazy/