Paul Mescal is hoping for double the success this fall when two big movies he’s in come out at the same time. The actor from “Gladiator II” and the new “Wicked” movie thinks their November 22nd release date could lead to big profits like last year’s “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” movies. He’s even given them a fun nickname – “Glicked”!
You may remember how “Barbie” the movie and “Oppenheimer” about the inventor of the atomic bomb both did amazingly well last year even though they were total opposites. The silly Barbie film made $1.4 billion worldwide while the serious history one made almost $1 billion too. Mescal thinks his sword & sandals epic “Gladiator II” and the musical fantasy “Wicked” adapted from Broadway have the same chance.
In an interview, Mescal said “It would be so cool because the movies really couldn’t be more different. If people want to check them both out opening weekend like they did with Barbie and Oppenheimer, that could be amazing.” He’s hoping the name “Glicked” catches on like “Barbenheimer” did to describe seeing the mismatched movies together.
“Gladiator II” revisits the original movie’s world of battles in the Colosseum. Mescal plays Lucius, who has to fight for his life years after a tragic event. Huge stars like Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Denzel Washington also appear.
On the other hand, “Wicked” is a story of how the witches from The Wizard of Oz first met and became friends or enemies. It features big musical numbers and appearances by singers Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo along with actors Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh.
While an action flick paired with a musical seems odd, last year proved pairing opposites can work. Only time will tell if “Glicked” ends up being as big a trend! Mescal and the studios are crossing their fingers that moviegoers want to check out both come November 22nd.
