Before Moana 2 rains a monsoon of cash, Universal’s Wicked will not go quietly in the night. In fact, on Monday the musical starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande was grande indeed with a studio reported $15.8 million box office take.

Wicked” and “Gladiator II” have debuted in theaters with a combined $270 million in ticket sales. Their worldwide performance breathed fresh life into global box office results that have struggled lately.

The pair of films did huge business as Thanksgiving gets underway in the United States. Globally, the movies have earned $162.5 million and $220.5 million, respectively.

Battling a 27 percent decline in domestic ticket sales compared with before the pandemic, studios left no marketing drum unthumped in releasing the movies.

Universal’s Wicked achieved strong domestic box office success, setting records as the largest 2024 opening for a non-sequel film. It also reached key milestones for a Broadway musical adaptation. The film performed well globally,

Following a sluggish year at the box office, “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” opened this weekend with combined earnings of $270 million internationally, providing the box office with much-needed rejuvenation as the busiest moviegoing weekend of the year, per Box Office Mojo.

Wicked and Gladiator II, two of the year’s most-anticipated films, brought in a combined $168 million in weekend sales at US and Canadian theaters, kicking off what’s likely to be a strong holiday season for cinemas.

Hollywood is betting 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator 2' will jumpstart the box office this holiday week. NBC News' George Solis has all the excitement.

"Wicked" earned an estimated $114 million in North American movie theaters its opening week, and $164.2 million globally, making it the No. 1 film at the U.S. box office and the highest-earning Broadway-to-screen adaptation debut yet.