As a seasoned moviegoer with decades of cinematic adventures under my belt, I can hardly contain my excitement for the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend at the box office! The tantalizing prospect of three blockbuster releases – Universal’s highly-anticipated musical adaptation of Wicked and Paramount’s long-awaited Gladiator sequel, along with Disney’s Moana 2 – has me counting down the days like a kid on Christmas Eve.
A bountiful Thanksgiving feast is shaping up at the box office.
The Universal production “Wicked” and Paramount’s anticipated sequel “Gladiator II” are projected to have a successful debut during the Nov. 22-23 weekend, marking the start of the profitable holiday season. According to leading research firm NRG, “Wicked” is expected to open with an impressive $85 million, a figure that would place it among the largest musical openings, as per sources who have been briefed on this data by The Hollywood Reporter.
The film version of the well-known Broadway musical by director Jon M. Chu boasts a star-studded cast headlined by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Originally scheduled for release on November 27, a day before Thanksgiving, it has been moved forward to generate buzz leading up to Thanksgiving week. The new release date also ensures some distance from the premiere of Moana 2, which is set for theaters on the 27th. Similarly, Moana 2 anticipates strong box office numbers due to impressive advance ticket sales; however, it hasn’t been added to NRG tracking yet.
This week saw a preliminary screening of the film adaptation of Wicked, which was met with enthusiastic responses. It’s the first of director Chu’s two films based on the popular musical, with the second part slated for release during Thanksgiving 2025. The stage play, initially inspired by Gregory Maguire’s best-selling novel, explores the lesser-known tale of the witches from Oz. In this adaptation, Erivo portrays Elphaba and Grande takes on the role of Glinda. Winnie Holzman, who penned the book for the stage production, collaborated with Dana Fox to write Chu’s screenplay. Stephen Schwartz, an Oscar-winning composer and lyricist, adapted the musical for the big screen.
24 years after its initial release, a new installment of the movie “Gladiator,” directed by Ridley Scott, unfolds. This fresh chapter features an ensemble cast that includes Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, and Fred Hechinger, alongside other talented actors.
The film sees Mescal playing a grown-up Lucius Verus II, a nephew of Emperor Commodus from the original film, played by Joaquin Phoenix. Lucius returns to Rome after being forced into slavery to battle not as a ruler but as a gladiator out for revenge and power, seeking to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Similar to “Wicked”, an early showing of “Gladiator II” on October 18 garnered intense initial feedback, while the first trailer launched in July accumulated a staggering 215 million views across multiple platforms within mere days. The original movie bagged five Oscars and grossed $465.4 million globally, without taking inflation into account.
Among the three anticipated Thanksgiving blockbusters, it’s possible that Moana 2 could be the most financially successful; the holiday season is expected to bring a significant recovery for box office earnings following a challenging period marked by calendar gaps due to the pandemic and labor strikes in the previous year.
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2024-10-31 21:27