With a combined $270 million in worldwide ticket sales, and breathed fresh life into a box office that has , leading to one of the busiest moviegoing weekends of the year.

B次元官网网址淲icked,B次元官网网址� starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, debuted with $114 million domestically and $164.2 million globally for Universal Pictures, according to studio estimates Sunday. That made it the third-biggest opening weekend of the year, behind only and ItB次元官网网址檚 also a record for a Broadway musical adaptation.

a sequel to his 2000 best picture-winning original, launched with $55.5 million in ticket sales. With a price tag of around $250 million to produce it, B次元官网网址淕ladiator IIB次元官网网址� was a big bet by Paramount Pictures to return to the Colosseum with a largely new cast, led by Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal. While it opened with a touch less than the $60 million predicted in domestic ticket sales, B次元官网网址淕ladiator IIB次元官网网址� has performed well overseas. It added $50.5 million internationally.

The collision of the two movies led to some echoes of the effect of last year, when B次元官网网址淏arbieB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淥ppenheimerB次元官网网址� launched simultaneously. The nickname this time, wasnB次元官网网址檛 quite as catchy and the cultural imprint also was notably less. Few people this time. The domestic grosses in 2023 B次元官网网址� $162 million for B次元官网网址淏arbieB次元官网网址� and $82 million for B次元官网网址淥ppenheimerB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� also were higher.

B次元官网网址淕lickedB次元官网网址� falls short of B次元官网网址淏补谤产别苍丑别颈尘别谤B次元官网网址�

For Universal, which distributed B次元官网网址淥ppenheimerB次元官网网址� last year, the weekend was more a triumph of B次元官网网址淲颈肠办别诲B次元官网网址� than it was of B次元官网网址淕licked.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲e saw an opportunity to dominate a weekend and get a very large running start into the Thanksgiving holiday,B次元官网网址� said Jim Orr, distribution chief for Universal. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e very confident that it will play ridiculously well through the Christmas corridor and into the new year.B次元官网网址�

But the counter-programming effect was still potent for B次元官网网址淲颈肠办别诲B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淕ladiator II,B次元官网网址� which likewise split broadly along gender lines. And it was again the female-leaning release B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淲icked,B次元官网网址� like B次元官网网址淏arbieB次元官网网址� before it B次元官网网址� that easily won the weekend. About 72% of ticket buyers for B次元官网网址淲颈肠办别诲B次元官网网址� were female, while 61% of those seeing B次元官网网址淕ladiator IIB次元官网网址� were male.

B次元官网网址淪tanding on their own, each of these movies may have done pretty much what they did, but itB次元官网网址檚 hard to know,B次元官网网址� said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. B次元官网网址淩aising awareness can indeed lead to an increase in box office. LetB次元官网网址檚 put it this way: They didnB次元官网网址檛 hurt each other at all.B次元官网网址�

Massive marketing campaigns paved the way for opening weekend

While B次元官网网址淏补谤产别苍丑别颈尘别谤B次元官网网址� benefitted enormously from meme-spread word-of-mouth, both B次元官网网址淲颈肠办别诲B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淕ladiator IIB次元官网网址� leaned on all-out marketing blitzes.

The B次元官网网址淕ladiator IIB次元官网网址� campaign featured everything from a with the actual Colosseum in Rome to simultaneously running a one-minute trailer on more than 4,000 TV networks, radio station and digital platforms.

The B次元官网网址淲颈肠办别诲B次元官网网址� onslaught went even further, with pink and green themed B次元官网网址淲ickedly DeliciousB次元官网网址� Starbucks drinks, Stanley mugs and Mattel dolls (some of which led to ). Its stars made appearances at the Met Gala and the Olympics.

B次元官网网址淲e had roughly 400 global brand partners on B次元官网网址榃icked,B次元官网网址� so the campaign was inescapable, said Orr. B次元官网网址淎nd our cast, led by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, worked so hard on this. They were everywhere. They did everything we asked them to do.B次元官网网址�

Going into the weekend, box office was down about 11% from last year and some 25% from pre-pandemic times. That meant this weekB次元官网网址檚 two headline films led a much-needed resurgence for theaters. With releasing Wednesday, Hollywood might be looking at historic sales over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The two films boosted sluggish box office performance

B次元官网网址淭his weekendB次元官网网址檚 two strong openers are invigorating a box office that fell apart after a good summer,B次元官网网址� said David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter for Franchise Entertainment.

Though B次元官网网址淲颈肠办别诲B次元官网网址� will face some direct competition from B次元官网网址淢oana 2,B次元官网网址� it would seem better set up for a long and lucrative run in theaters than B次元官网网址淕ladiator II.B次元官网网址� Though some have dinged B次元官网网址淲颈肠办别诲B次元官网网址� for running long, at 2 hours and 40 minutes, the film has had mostly stellar reviews. Audiences gave it an B次元官网网址淎B次元官网网址� on CinemaScore. The reception for B次元官网网址淲颈肠办别诲B次元官网网址� has been strong enough that Oscar prognosticators expect it to be a contender for best picture at the Academy Awards, among other categories.

Producers, perhaps sensing a hit, also took the step of splitting B次元官网网址淲颈肠办别诲B次元官网网址� in two. Part two, already filmed, is due out next November. Each B次元官网网址淲颈肠办别诲B次元官网网址� installation cost around $150 million to make.

B次元官网网址淕ladiator IIB次元官网网址� has also enjoyed good reviews, particularly for WashingtonB次元官网网址檚 charismatic performance. Audience scores, though, were weaker, with ticket buyers giving it a B次元官网网址淏B次元官网网址� on CinemaScore. The film will make up for some of that, however, with robust international sales. It launched in many overseas markets a week ago, and has already accrued $165.5 million internationally.

Coming in a distant third place for the weekend was B次元官网网址淩ed One,B次元官网网址� the Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans holiday movie turned action film. In its second week of release, the Amazon MGM Studios release grossed $13.3 million to bring its two-week global haul to $117 million. At a cost of $250 million to make, B次元官网网址淩ed OneB次元官网网址� is the seasonB次元官网网址檚 biggest flop, though it could recoup some value for Amazon if itB次元官网网址檚 more popular once it begins streaming.

Final domestic figures will be released Monday. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. B次元官网网址淲icked,B次元官网网址� $114 million.

2. B次元官网网址淕ladiator II,B次元官网网址� $55.5 million.

3. B次元官网网址淩ed One,B次元官网网址� $13.3 million.

4. B次元官网网址淏onhoeffer: Pastor Spy Assassin,B次元官网网址� $5.1 million.

5. B次元官网网址淰enom: The Last Dance,B次元官网网址� $4 million.

6. B次元官网网址淭he Best Christmas Pageant Ever,B次元官网网址� $3.5 million.

7. B次元官网网址淗eretic,B次元官网网址� $2.2 million.

8. B次元官网网址淭he Wild Robot,B次元官网网址� $2 million.

9. B次元官网网址淪mile 2,B次元官网网址� $1.1 million.

10. B次元官网网址淎 Real Pain,B次元官网网址� $1.1 million.