Get ready for this year’s Barbenheimer

Those of us preparing to flock to the theaters to see Wicked this fall probably thought our movie-going outfits would come down to two choices: Do I wear pink or green? But after Universal moved up the release date, the options are now limited to embodying Elphaba, Glinda, or… ancient Rome. (Or maybe all of the above.)

Wicked: Part 1 will now hit theaters on November 22, the same day as Gladiator II, the sequel to Ridley Scott’s epic film starring Russell Crowe, this time with a new Paul Mescal. The new slot will allow Wicked to avoid facing off against Moana 2, another highly anticipated sequel, on Thanksgiving the following week. But now, Wicked will be competing with an entirely different kind of movie. But maybe competing is the wrong word. With this day-and-night duo reminding us of Barbie and Oppenheimer’s weekend last summer, perhaps the best way forward is to embrace both films with equal fervor. Welcome, Barbenheimer.

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Or better yet: Welcome, Wickedliator. Or Wickliator. Wladiator? Gladicked?? Glicked???

The name needs some tweaking, but the aesthetic possibilities are endless. Think witch hat with costume armor, or gladiator sandals with a sparkling pink dress. Maybe you’re the Tin Man in a toga, or the Cowardly Lion in a civic crown of leaves, or a gladiator wielding a broom instead of a sword. Maybe you layer your emerald outfit with pops of orange and white to celebrate Paul Mescal’s Irish heritage. (Sorry, Italy.) Why not complete your Marcus Aurelius cosplay by painting your entire body green? Why not dress up as Dr. Dillamond for both movies? (I’m sure there were goats in ancient Rome, right?)

If there’s one thing that struck me about going to movie theaters this past year, it’s that some people actually want to dress up to go to the movies. Whether it’s fans of the Eras or Renaissance tours, or even the guy who dressed up as a Fremen and rode into the theater on the back of a “sandworm” for Dune: Part 2, moviegoers love the chance to don a themed costume. People wore pink, even if it wasn’t Wednesday, for the remake of the musical Mean Girls . Even though Furiosa didn’t become the summer blockbuster the industry had hoped it would be, you can tell people still want to go to the movies for an event. People want to be a part of something. They want to be a part of it, even if “it” is bisexual panic or lust for a rat boyfriend (The Challengers). To quote Nicole Kidman, they come here for the magic. And sometimes that magic is a bucket of popcorn shaped like Shai-Hulud or Wolverine’s wide-open mouth.

These phenomena have also helped the economy. According to Morgan Stanley, cultural events like Barbenheimer, the Renaissance Tour, and Eras Tour “spurred enough growth in personal consumption expenditures (PCE) over the summer to translate into a staggering £6.6 billion in growth for the U.S. economy in the third quarter” of 2023, Variety reports. In these cases, movies already seemed destined for success: with two titles tied to global pop stars and one tied to a famous toy company, they were bound to be wildly successful. Could another title, let alone another duo, repeat the story?

The takeaway here is that this is not the time to say, “Haha, look at this chick flick trying to compete with a serious guy movie.” Instead, consider how these two films, which couldn’t be more different in mood, can become cinematic events and appeal to such a broad audience. And in fact, it’s possible for films starring two women, even one of them wearing pink, to appeal to everyone. (Sadly, none of the Wickleator films are directed by women, but Winnie Holzman wrote the screenplay for Wicked and the book for the musical.) And if you thought women weren’t going to flock to Gladiator II to see Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal in their sweaty armor or Denzel Washington in his little hoop earring, you haven’t done your market research.

One way to prove this gender divide wrong? Get the same audience to see both films. Maybe Paramount and Universal know exactly what they’re doing and are already pulling the strings on a Glicked-style marketing plan. Maybe trying to recreate Barbenheimer’s phenomenon is like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. Or maybe, in the end, this is all just an excuse to have a little fun at the movies, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

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