“Wicked” picks up a lot of green, with the Universal release coming in at the high end of projections to head toward the third-biggest domestic opening of the year. The weekend is now forecast to hit $117 million, but that would only trail “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($211 million) and “Inside Out 2” ($151 million) among 2024 releases. And Paramount’s “Gladiator II ” is no slouch either: it lands in second place with a projected opening weekend of $60 million. Theaters should be excited about the two debuts after being starved of superlatives in the fall. The last movie to start at nine figures (or even above $60 million) was “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” almost three months ago.

“Wicked” earned $46.7 million Friday from 3,888 theaters and preview screenings, much of which occurred earlier in the week than Thursday, which is the traditional kickoff for a new release. Although the big screen adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical landed the third biggest opening day of the year, it comes with a caveat. Add in the $7.9 million lead it got during Monday and Wednesday screenings, and “Wicked” falls just behind the $41.5 million opening day of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”

That’s a successful payoff for what has been a substantial investment for Universal, which has been gradually ramping up a months-long marketing blitz for “Wicked” throughout the fall. Produced on a $150 million budget, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s musical is proving to be the season-defining blockbuster the studio thought it could be. Ticket revenues are also boosted by playing in premium large-format venues (although “Gladiator II” has the majority of Imax showtimes).

Critics picked the Jon M. Chu-directed return to Oz, and audiences are excited too. Moviegoer Cinema Score delivered an approving A grade after a survey of early ticket buyers. The PG-rated “Wicked” will see some competition for family audiences and music lovers when “Moana 2” hits theaters next week. But with such a strong response and lots of awards, it is well positioned for the long term after a great opening. And all the better, since Universal will bow another $150 million “Wicked” entry, which adapts and expands on the Broadway show’s second act, during the same pre-Thanksgiving weekend next year.

Similar to last summer’s now legendary simultaneous launch of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” this weekend’s moody, R-rated contender settles for a rousing second place on the domestic charts. Paramount’s “Gladiator II” cut $22 million from 3,573 locations and preview screenings on Friday and is now eyeing $60 million for its North American debut. It will be the best opening ever for director Ridley Scott, surpassing the $58 million figure for his 2001 thriller “Hannibal.” (Funnily enough, that was also a years-long sequel to a Best Picture Oscar winner). It’s also on track for the biggest November opening ever for an R-rated feature film.

With a massive production budget of $250 million, plus a global marketing spend, ‘Gladiator II’ is banking on extended play through the final weeks of the year, as well as healthy ticket sales abroad. Outside the United States, it got off to a solid start last week, already surpassing $131 million in 63 international markets.

Critics are positive about the Swords and Sandals sequel, but it’s not quite the crowd-pleaser that “Wicked” is, with a B grade for Cinema Score. Gritty, mature epics can still put on great runs even without overwhelming audience approval, but it’s something to keep an eye on as the market gets busier with Thanksgiving. The first “Gladiator” was the third-highest grossing domestic release of 2000; While this sequel won’t reach such a superlative height, it could still prove to be a worthy way back to Rome.

Gladiator II sees Paul Mescal enter the Colosseum seeking retribution as the Roman Empire teeters on the brink of collapse. Connie Nielsen reprises her role from the original film, while the new cast includes Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger and the critically acclaimed Denzel Washington.

Also this weekend, Angel Studios opens back in theaters with a new Euro period piece ‘Bonhoeffer. Pastor. Spy. Assassin.’, about Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was, as advertised, a preacher, spy and murderer. The English-language feature film follows the devout Christian’s resistance to the rise of the Third Reich and eventual involvement in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Angel acquired the rights to the Todd Komarnicki-directed film in 2023.

“Bonhoeffer” is vying for fourth place on the domestic charts after earning about $2.2 million on Friday and receiving previews from about 1,900 locations. The three-day opening will gross approximately $4.4 million. Angel, who burst onto the scene last year with the surprise child trafficking thriller “Sound of Freedom,” has turned in some notable but rather low-key performances in 2024, with three other films based on real life: “Cabrini,” “Sight” and “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot.” Reviews have been lukewarm for “Bonhoeffer,” but core audiences are loving it, with Angel getting the usual A grade for Cinema Score.

Falling to third place, Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans’ holiday smash-em-up “Red One” collected $3.3 million on Friday and is projecting $13 million for its second outing. Total domestic cume will exceed $52 million in the first ten days of release.

Amazon MGM doesn’t suffer nearly as much pain as a traditional studio would suffer from such an outcome for a $250 million production. But with “Red One” seeing a less-than-cheerful 58% drop from an already cold opening weekend, it seems unlikely the Christmas movie can make a competitive run against busier titles. Maybe it’ll still boost the streaming numbers on Prime Video and this theatrical outing could all be a rounding error for tech giant Amazon, but it’s worth wondering if the company would spend that much money on a supposed franchise starter again, because the pressure is mounting for streamers to prioritize profits and cut corners.

“Venom: The Last Dance” rounds out the top five and is looking to soak up another $4 million in its fifth weekend of release. After spending most of the past month largely uncontested as the top box office draw, Sony’s Marvel antihero spinoff is starting to wrap up its final numbers. It has now surpassed $130 million domestically, a far cry from the $213 million of its predecessor “Let There Be Carnage.” But the overseas total for “The Last Dance” is over $300 million and growing, surpassing “Carnage’s” $293 million international.