Wicked vs Gladiator II: The movie industry received a much-needed boost this weekend as Wicked and Gladiator II drew massive crowds, raking in a combined $270 million globally. Wicked, a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, charmed audiences with a record-breaking $164.2 million opening, while the historical epic Gladiator II pulled in a respectable $106 million. The collision of the two movies led to some echoes of the Barbenheimer effect of last year, when Barbie and Oppenheimer launched simultaneously.
