MW 'Moana 2' makes $66.3 million splash through Wednesday, joining 'Wicked,' 'Gladiator II' in box-office weekend mashup to rival 'Barbenheimer'

By Charles Passy and James Rogers

Movie fans are expected to flock to 'Wicked,' 'Gladiator II' and 'Moana 2' - aka 'MoGlicked' or 'Glickedana' - this weekend

Will last weekend's moviegoing buzz about "Glicked" - the viral term that referenced the simultaneous U.S. releases of the pictures "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" - give way to holiday-weekend fervor for "MoGlicked"?

The early box-office returns look promising.

"MoGlicked" is our mashup term, one that takes the "Glicked" pictures and adds to the mix "Moana 2," the follow-up to the successful Disney $(DIS)$ animated movie, which opened Wednesday. Most industry watchers expect the sequel to be a big draw: Deadline reported that it could bring in more than $225 million in its global opening.

The Disney sequel is already riding a $66.3 million international box office wave through Wednesday, Deadline reported. And the strong global ticket sales are notable because the Thanksgiving weekend is not really a major holiday window overseas. And this rising box-office tide could continue to lift "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" with it.

Indeed, the "Glicked" films aren't expected to fade away this weekend either, especially after their solid debuts. "Wicked," a Universal Pictures $(CMCSA)$ release, brought in an estimated $164.2 million worldwide in its first weekend, according to data from industry tracker Comscore, registering the biggest opening for a movie based on a Broadway adaptation. "Gladiator II," a Paramount $(PARA)$ picture that had earlier release dates in international markets such as the U.K. and Australia, brought in an estimated $106 million globally last weekend, according to Comscore.

"We're still going to be promoting those movies," said Mike Bowers, president and chief executive of Harkins Theatres, a theater chain with 32 locations, in reference to "Wicked" and "Gladiator II." He added that it's about creating a conversation with moviegoers around the question: "Have you finished 'Glicked?'"

But whether you're talking the "Glicked" or, ahem, "MoGlicked" (some prefer the term "Glickedana") films, the point is that Hollywood is back to where release calendars are getting full again, and more than one high-profile (or "tentpole") movie can dominate the box office at a single time. This all comes after the lean years of the pandemic era, which was followed by the labor strikes (the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA) that kept release schedules fairly light.

And this is all boosted by the buzz generated by memes that turn two (or potentially more) releases into an "event." "Glicked" was the latest example, but who can forget the fuss over a certain 2023 moviegoing phenomenon known as "Barbenheimer" that had folks rushing to see "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" - in some cases on the same day?

By many accounts, both the "Barbenheimer" and "Glicked" memes were generated by moviegoers themselves, not the studios or theater owners, though their origins remain murky.

"No one really knows," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with Comscore $(SCOR)$.

As much as such viral fanfare might benefit the studios, they are generally hesitant to cross-promote each other's films, industry experts note. It would be like the New York Yankees hawking tickets for a New York Mets game.

As for the theater owners, they told MarketWatch they're not necessarily going to come up with the memes on their own - they'd rather let such things emerge organically - but they're certainly going to capitalize on them once they see the moviegoing public talking them up.

Indeed, AMC $(AMC)$ CEO Adam Aron referenced the "Glicked" meme in a recent post on X, celebrating the box-office success of the past weekend.

That said, experts remain somewhat skeptical as to whether "Glicked" had the same effect as "Barbenheimer" in getting moviegoers to see both pictures, especially as a single-day event. Rather, the meme may have simply created excitement for the moviegoing public in general.

Either way, Alicia Reese, an analyst with Wedbush Securities who tracks the film industry, called it "this beautiful phenomenon that gets people to do something wonderful, which is to go to the movies."

Brian Schultz, CEO of Look Cinemas, a premium operator with theaters in several states, echoed those sentiments.

Memes like "Glicked" and "Barbenheimer" "eventize the moviegoing experience," he said.

In any case, the industry certainly needs people to fill theater seats. Domestic box-office numbers are still far below their pre-pandemic mark, according to Box Office Mojo. In 2018, the tally hit an all-time high of $11.9 billion; in 2023, it totaled $8.9 billion.

That leaves open the question: Will we see more "Glicked" or "MoGlicked" events in the future?

Certainly, the 2025 calendar will be filled with many tentpole pictures, from a new "Mission Impossible" movie to a new Superman one, and there's a good chance one or two weekends will see a couple of movies with mashup potential.

But Michael O'Leary, CEO of industry trade group NATO (National Association of Theatre Owners), said the meme idea can't be forced. "It has to be authentic," he said.

Others in the industry argue the films have to match up in a certain way - that is, they can't be too similar, but they can't be too wildly different, either. (Not that that stopped some from jokingly envisioning a "Saw Patrol" mashup, combining the horror flick "Saw X" and the kiddie film "PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie," last year.)

Daniel Loria, editorial director at Boxoffice Pro, an industry trade publication, said the meme thing may be grabbing headlines, but it really just means people are finding their way back to seeing films in theaters again. We're simply coming up with fancy ways to describe that.

"We used to call this 'moviegoing,'" he said.

-Charles Passy -James Rogers

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November 29, 2024 10:28 ET (15:28 GMT)

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