Box Office: ‘Wicked’ Makes Huge $19.2 Million in Previews, ‘Gladiator II’ Has $6.5 Million

variety.com:

Jordan Moreau Just like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” combined last year for the box office juggernaut of “Barbenheimer,” Universal’s musical “Wicked” and Paramount’s action epic “Gladiator II” will try to create “Glicked” this weekend.

So far, “Wicked” has made $19.2 million in previews at the box office. It also benefited from some early fan screenings — that includes $2.5 million from Monday showings, $5.7 million from Wednesday advances and $11 million on Thursday. “Gladiator II” made $6.5 million in Thursday previews.

To compare to “Barbenheimer” last summer, “Barbie” made $22.3 million in Thursday previews, while “Oppenheimer” brought in $10.5 million.

Director Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, is expected to be one of the biggest opening weekends of the year. “Wicked” is on track for $100 million to $110 million, with some estimates as high as $130 million.