Universal Pictures announced a new release date for Wicked, the highly anticipated feature-length flick based on the Tony-winning Broadway musical phenomenon of the same name. The first in a planned two-part epic, the Wicked movie is directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) and stars Tony and Grammy Award winner Cynthia Erivo and Grammy-winning pop icon Ariana Grande as Elphaba Thropp and Galinda Upland respectively. Like the Broadway musical, Wicked‘s cast of characters is led by Oz’s misunderstood and green-skinned Elphaba, who later becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.

At school, the magically inclined Elphaba meets Galinda (later, Glinda), a popular student who hopes to excel in all things magic, despite being less gifted than Elphie. Although the two women start off as rivals and enemies, they grow to be best friends. Of course, that’s long before the events of The Wizard of Oz, which sees the two on different sides of the classic struggle between good and evil. Much like 2023’s Barbie, the Wicked movie is primed to be one of fall 2024’s biggest hits — but it isn’t the only film capable of topping ticket sales.

Wicked’s New Release Date Is The Same As Gladiator 2

The Tonally Contrasting Movies Are Reminiscent Of 2023’s Barbie & Oppenheimer

Originally slated for a November 27 release date, Wicked is now opening on Friday, November 22 — the weekend before Thanksgiving. The scheduling shift means that Wicked will no longer go head-to-head with its fellow musical, Moana 2, but it does set up 2024’s answer to the Barbenheimer movie event of 2023. As the portmanteau suggests, Barbenheimer was the name given to the dual opening of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer in July 2023. Instead of just feeding into box office competition, the Barbenheimer event spawned a fun audience reaction, with viewers planning unofficial double features.

When it comes to Wicked‘s choice of opening weekend, the musical will now be paired with Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, the long-awaited sequel to his Oscar-winning feature from 2000. While Barbie is a storied brand with a rich history, Nolan’s films are treated like franchise features wherein Nolan himself is the brand. Tonally, however, Barbie and Oppenheimer couldn’t be more different. Similarly, Broadway’s Wicked and the first Gladiator film are both award-winning titans, but the films’ tones and subjects make for a stark contrast. Although beating Barbenheimer would be tough, Wicked/Gladiator has a real shot.

Wicked & Gladiator 2 Being 2024’s Barbenheimer Is Great News

The Odd Couple Could Replicate Barbenheimer’s Box Office Magic

There’s no denying that Barbie and Oppenheimer leveraged the Barbenheimer discourse to their advantage. While some viewers pitted the movies against each other in terms of box office stats or awards wins, there’s really no comparing the vastly different films. Instead, the synergy helped to create a massive pop culture moment. Audiences plotted out their own double features, leading to even more success. Ultimately, Barbie became the 3rd 21st-century movie to cross the $1 billion mark, while Oppenheimer made $953.8 million. After a rocky 2024, the combined efforts of Wicked and Gladiator 2 could provide a similar bump.

Both Wicked and Gladiator II are slated for a November 22, 2024 release date.