Is "'Glicked" the next "Barbenheimer" phenomenon for Hollywood? That's what studios are hoping for as Wicked from Comcast's (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures' (NASDAQ:PARA) Gladiator II hit U.S. theaters on Friday.

The much-awaited movies, like 2023 blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer, have opposite aesthetics and could potentially win big at the box office.

Wicked is adapted from the popular musical by the same name, and Gladiator II is the sequel to the Oscar-winning historical epic.

But Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey thinks "Glicked" may not match up to "Barbenheimer," as quoted in MarketWatch. Wicked is projected to earn over $100M this weekend, while Gladiator II could reach $80M. This makes "a strong but smaller" total than "Barbenheimer's" $244.4M opening weekend, Hickey noted.

Still, movie-theater chains like Cinemark (NYSE:CNK) and IMAX (NYSE:IMAX) expect a strong holiday season, with "Glicked" as well as upcoming releases - Disney's (DIS) Moana 2 (on November 27) and Mufasa: The Lion King (on December 20). Paramount Pictures' Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will hit theaters December 20.

AMC Entertainment (NYSE:AMC) CEO Adam Aron earlier this month said Wicked was already being described as a masterpiece. "Some people in the know think Moana 2 could eclipse and outshine even the success of Inside Out 2."

Target (NYSE:TGT) as well as toy makers Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT) and Funko (NASDAQ:FNKO) also expect strong sales of their Wicked-inspired product lines.