Everyone knows about the famous “Barbenheimer” phenomenon of summer 2023. If you don’t, it is the combination of blockbusters “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” that will forever be remembered in cinema history. Likewise, this November, “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” were released, which is now deemed as “Glicked.” These releases have displayed similar excitement and popularity as the movies from the summer of 2023. Upon the release of these new movies, many fans are now comparing the two: “Glicked” vs. “Barbenheimer.”
Looking back to 2023, the releases of “Barbie” and ”Oppenheimer” created a cultural phenomenon that would be known as “Barbenheimer.” While the very glamorous energy around “Barbie” contrasted the dark and serious vibes of “Oppenheimer,” the duo became a must-see double feature. The joint opening weekend of these movies was the fourth-largest ever at the American box office, and they are both ranked among the highest grossing films of 2023. This set an unprecedented record at the box office while also creating a cultural moment like no other.
“Barbenheimer’ is a marketing gift borne out of social media and I think it’s benefiting both films,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the analytics firm Comscore. “You’re certainly aware of both movies in a more profound and compelling way than I think might have otherwise happened had they been released on different weekends.”
When the opening weekend of “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” prompted similar popularity to that of “Barbenheimer,” fans were very excited and intrigued to see how they would compare to one another. Looking at Fandango’s 2024 most anticipated holiday movie survey, nearly 65% of people surveyed said they were interested in seeing the two movies as a theatrical double feature. Like “Barbenheimer,” “Glicked” provided moviegoers with very contrasting themes. “Wicked,” filled with lots of energy and theater music, is no doubt very different from the action-packed and intense “Gladiator II.”
Comparing the individual movies to one another, “Wicked” outperformed “Gladiator II,” doubling its gross to take the number one spot at the global and domestic box offices that weekend. However, “Wicked” fell short of the record-breaking release of “Barbie,” while “Gladiator II” also fell behind the grand opening of “Oppenheimer.” Overall, compared to “Barbenheimer’s” $235.5 million, the “Glicked” duo fell short and grossed an estimated $219.5 million worldwide during the opening weekend.
“Ever since ‘Barbenheimer,’ the whole industry and everyone is just looking for the next mashup that we can put together, and this weekend offered that up,” said Dergarabedian. “‘Barbenheimer’ and ‘Glicked’ have shown the industry that this kind of same-day counterprogramming creates social buzz that’s undeniable.” He also added that both films will individually benefit from weeks of playability, making “Glicked” just the “icing on the cake.”
Despite the enthusiasm surrounding the new “Glicked” phenomenon, fans are rejecting the idea to reinvent what happened last summer, emphasizing that there will never be another “Barbenheimer.” While this may be true, the two shouldn’t necessarily be in comparison with each other as they are very distinct and took place at very different times. Rather than it being a competition, it should be viewed as a conversation; those films had their time last summer, and these new films will have their go this year.
David Hancock, media and entertainment analyst at Omdia said the reason “Barbenheimer” took off was because it came together very nicely; it was a particular moment in time with films that were both original scripts. Similarly, Phil Clapp, CEO of the UK Cinema Association, said he would “hesitate to draw too many parallels with the almost unique set of circumstances” around “Barbenheimer.”
The idea of “Glicked” following the release of these new films is something that has undeniable popularity, but should it really be in competition to “Barbenheimer”? While many parallels can be drawn between “Glicked” and “Barbenheimer,” the two happened on their own. Whether or not you believe “Glicked” lived up to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon of last year, it’s no doubt that these films were very well liked and should be individually appreciated.
