Paul Mescal has shared his hopes that Gladiator II and Wicked’s same-day release will be the new ‘Barbenheimer’.
The actor compared the growing hype for the two films to Barbie and Oppenheimer’s same-day release on July 21st, 2023.
The opening weekend shattered box office expectations, and led movie theatre chains like AMC Theatres to it’s highest revenue.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the 28-year-old said, “Wickdiator doesn’t really roll off the tongue, does it? I think my preference would probably be Glicked.”
“If it has a similar effect to what it did for Barbie and Oppenheimer, it would be amazing cause I think the films couldn’t be more polar opposites, and it worked in that context previously.”
Paul continued, “So, fingers crossed, people come out and see both films on opening weekend.”
The upcoming Gladiator II and Wicked same-day release was only made possible after Universal Pictures moved the movie musical release up one week from Nov 27.
The film previously would have opened against the animated Disney sequel Moana 2.
Paul, who received his first Oscar nomination in 2023 for his role in Aftersun, took over the lead role in Gladiator II more than 20 years after Russell Crowe won Best Actor for the first film at the 2001 Academy Awards.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Paul emphasized that he recognized the long-lasting success of Scott’s original movie while making the sequel.
“It’s a film that many men my age and dads can quote religiously. It’s just been in the cultural zeitgeist for 20 years, and there’s not a lot of films that have done that, especially in this genre,” he told the outlet.
The actor added, “So there’s a healthy amount of pressure, but there’s also a healthy amount of confidence from the people who made the film.”
