- Gladiator II star Paul Mescal has praised the stars of its rival movie – Wicked
- The two films were released in the US on November 22
- Mescal said both movies were ‘great for the industry in general’
Last year we had Barbenheimer.
And now Paul Mescal has weighed in on the box office battle he is currently part of – Glicked.
With both his movie Gladiator II, and Wicked Part 1 hitting theaters last Friday (November 22), fans have been conflicted as to which film is their favourite.
But now Mescal says there is no rivalry between the stars.
In an interview with Attitude, the Irish actor, 28, revealed, “I met Cynthia [Erivo] and Ariana [Grande, stars of Wicked] at the Academy Gala very briefly, and I’ve seen the film. I think they’re both extraordinary.
“And I’m a musical theatre guy, I’m a big advocate for that film.”
Mescal also admitted that he doesn’t mind too much about what fans would like to call the match up – as long as they see both movies.
“Give it whatever title you want to give it,” he continued Mescal. “[Barbenheimer] was an amazing thing for cinema in general.
“If we can get people in the door for both films, not only is it great for us, it’s great for Wicked, but it’s great for the cinema industry in general. So, if you like cinema, support it.”
Wicked beats Gladiator II in global box office
It’s a good job that Mescal isn’t precious about fans enjoying both films – as Wicked is currently beating Gladiator II in the global box office.
Although both films have collectively grossed more than $270 million over their shared opening weekend, Wicked – which also stars Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh – took $164.2 million globally, of which $114 million was taken in the US.
This figure is the biggest opening for a movie based on a Broadway show ever – both globally and in the US. The previous global best was for Les Miserables in 2012, which took $103 million.
Wicked fans have to wait
While musical theater lovers around the world are clearly overjoyed by Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the 2003 Broadway show, they’ll have to wait a whole year to watch its second part.
The movie has been divided into two segments so that the story could be told properly.But don’t worry – here’s everything we know about Wicked Part 2. Be sure to keep an eye on the page, as we’re updating it when more information becomes available!
