Universal's tentpole movie Jon M. Chu's Wicked has moved up its release date to Nov. 22 from Nov. 27, Deadline reported.

Its original release date had it going head-to-head with Disney's animated sequel Moana 2. Now, Wicked is going up against Ridley Scott's sequel Gladiator II.

It would have been interesting who came out on top when the film was against Disney. Both movies have female leads. But now, it's even more fascinating since Wicked's Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will be battling at the box office with Gladiator II's Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal. Not to mention Joseph Quinn and Denzel Washington.

On the one hand, Wicked has a solid fanbase of a reported 30 million people globally who've seen iterations of the Broadway show. However, the upcoming film is only the first part.

Gladiator II, on the other hand, is the highly anticipated sequel of the 2000 film which won Russell Crowe an Academy Award for Best Actor. It was also the movie that introduced to mainstream audiences what a great villain Joaquin Phoenix could be.

Wicked and Gladiator II: The next Barbenheimer?

It could be the next Barbenheimer moment: movies that are seen to be targeted at two specific demographics. Both movies will also be released ahead of the Thanksgiving break. Barbenheimer were released summer last year, also on a weekend. This means that moviegoers will most likely see both.

Last year, Oppenheimer made $82.4 million in its opening weekend compared to Barbie's $162 million. Will we see the same breakdown for — listen, I don't want to be the one to concoct the portmanteau for Wicked and Gladiator. I just don't have it in me.

We could speculate that the numbers may skew the same way: towards Wicked. In its 21 years of existence, the musical grossed $2.5 billion around the world. Gladiator, on the other hand, has made $465.4 million worldwide. It's an unfair comparison, of course, but these are the numbers we have.

What's stacked against Gladiator II — at least for now — is marketing. Wicked's teaser trailer was released during the Super Bowl and has 230 million views online. The first trailer garnered 216 million views.

Gladiator II, on the other hand, only released its first look July 1. It's got a lot of catching up to do in terms of views and hype. One of the few things we knew about the movie was that Mescal was going to fight off monkeys. Do you know who else has monkeys? Wicked. Flying ones!

We'll have to wait and see when Gladiator II's teaser or trailer will be released. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the numbers it will bring in. Mescal, Pascal and Quinn have had quite a year. Also, they've been anointed as internet boyfriends. And then there's Washington lending his gravitas. I dare say that the numbers they'll put up will give Wicked a run for its money.

However, Wicked being divided into two parts — the first time it's done to a musical — may or may not work in its favor. I think it all depends on how it's divided. Anticipation is the key. If it ends on a high note (maybe even literally), then the producers can ride that hype train until next year. Part two will open Nov. 26, 2025.

Wouldn't it be hilarious if Scott has Gladiator III up his sleeves and then release it on that same day? I'd recycle this article, and then just add new numbers.