Following a sluggish year at the box office, “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” opened this weekend with combined earnings of $270 million internationally, providing the box office with much-needed rejuvenation as the busiest moviegoing weekend of the year, per Box Office Mojo.

While "Gladiator II" earned $55 million at the box office domestically, "Wicked" soared with $114 million. It was the biggest pre-Thanksgiving weekend opening since the COVID-19 pandemic, with the two movies earning the nickname "Glicked.

Battling a 27 percent decline in domestic ticket sales compared with before the pandemic, studios left no marketing drum unthumped in releasing the movies.