‘Wicked’ to Release Alongside ‘Gladiator 2’

Due to the overwhelming performance of Pixar’s Inside Out 2; which has amassed $1 billion within 19 days, making it the fastest animated film ever to achieve this goal; Universal has decided it would be best for Wicked to not compete against Moana 2 at the box office. The part one adaptation of the Broadway classic was originally slated for November 27, 2024, until Disney surprise announced that Moana 2 will be released this year. 

Moana 2 was originally supposed to be a spinoff series on Disney+. But, after processing the high-quality footage, it was edited down to a movie. During their Q2 Investor’s Call, Disney announced that the film would release during their annual Thanksgiving slot, a box office slot also reserved this year for Jon M. Chu’s Wicked. 

Now, Wicked has moved up its release date to November 22, five days earlier. This is the same release date as Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II. The question remains to be seen if Wicked will be able to secure IMAX and premium format screens, originally reserved for Gladiator II. 

The second act of Wicked, tentatively titled Wicked: Part Two, is still scheduled for November 26, 2025. Though, this is likely to change to the week before as well, as it’d be contending against Disney Animation’s Zootopia 2 on the same day. The new release date would likely be November 21, 2025.

Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, and Jeff Goldblum will be released in theaters on November 22, 2024. The film is distributed under Universal Pictures.

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, starring Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and Joseph Quinn will be released in theaters on November 22, 2024. The film is distributed under Paramount Pictures.

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Moana 2, starring Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, will be released in theaters on November 27, 2024.