Two heavily marketed movies, Wicked and Gladiator II, went head-to-head on the preholiday opening weekend, taking in nearly $170 million in domestic box office, according to Comscore estimates, and $270 million globally.Wicked is part one of the Broadway musical (and 1995 novel) of the same name, derived from the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland and based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Gladiator II is a sequel to Gladiator, the 2000 slugfest-in-the-Colosseum.Wicked, distributed by Comcast’s Universal, led with domestic sales of $114 million, while Paramount’s Gladiator II sold $55.5 million; Wicked won global weekend sales with $164 million. For its part, Gladiator II set a record for the biggest domestic November opening of an R-rated film, notes Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian.Hollywood has struggled to recover from last year’s actors’ and writers’ strikes, and studios were hoping for a repeat of 2023’s “Barbenheimer,” when moviegoers flocked to both Barbie and Oppenheimer. So far this year, Comscore says, domestic releases have racked up $7.3 billion through this past Sunday, down 10.7% from the same time in 2023.Not to be outdone, Walt Disney jumped into the mix on Wednesday with the animated Moana 2, a sequel to the 2016 hit. Industry estimates suggest the Polynesian princess could give Wicked and Gladiator II a run for their money.Write to Liz Moyer at [email protected] WeekMarketsAs Thanksgiving week began, President-elect Trump tweeted he would impose 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada plus 10% extra on Chinese goods. The dollar rose, but other currencies and global stocks fell. The U.S. and France brokered a ceasefire in the Lebanon war. Inflation persisted in October, but November ended as 2024’s best month for stocks. On the short, light-trading week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.4%, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite each gained 1.1%.CompaniesWalmart cut back on its diversity, inclusion, and inclusion programs after conservative opposition. Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed California provide rebates for electric vehicles if the Trump administration kills them; Tesla might be excluded. Macy’s delayed earnings after discovering an employee hid up to $154 million in delivery costs. The Financial Times reported that funds managed by Goldman Sachs will take an almost $900 million hit on Swedish battery maker Northvolt’s bankruptcy.DealsItaly’s UniCredit made a $10.6 billion offer for rival Banco BPM. CEO Andrea Orcel said it would not affect his Commerzbank bid...Coal miner Peabody Energy bought Anglo American’s steelmaking coal assets for up to $3.78 billion...Reuters reported that Japan’s prime minister asked Trump to OK Nippon Steel’s buy of U.S. Steel...Amazon.com said it would invest $4 billion more in artificial-intelligence start-up Anthropic, on top of $4 billion it’s already put in.Next WeekMonday 12/2The Institute for Supply Management releases both its Manufacturing and Services Purchasing Managers’ Indexes for November. Consensus estimate for the Manufacturing PMI, released on Monday, is for a 48 reading, 1.5 points more than in October. Expectations for the Services PMI, released on Wednesday, is for a 55.4 reading, slightly less than October’s figure. Readings above 50 suggest expansion in the sector, while below suggest contraction.Tuesday 12/3The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the Jobs Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for October. There were 7.44 million job openings on the last business day of September, the lowest level since January 2021, as the labor market comes into better balance, with roughly 1.1 job openings for every unemployed person.Friday 12/6The BLS releases the jobs report for November. Economists forecast an increase of 190,000 in nonfarm payrolls, following just a 12,000 gain in October. The unemployment rate is expected to tick up to 4.2% from 4.1%. The unemployment rate, still very low by historical standards, has been higher than 4% for five consecutive months, the first such streak since late 2021.The Numbers$35 TRecord amount of U.S. home equity Americans are sitting on, with home prices up 75% since 2020.64%The rise in the price of arabica coffee futures this year, to a little over $3 a pound, after a 2.7% surge on Monday.10.6 MChinese exports of steel in metric tons in October, a record. For the year, China has exported 92 million tons.6%Decline in prices of turkeys this year, accompanied by a 6% decline in supply due to bird flu and soft demand.Write to Robert Teitelman at [email protected]

"Wicked" earned an estimated $114 million in North American movie theaters its opening week, and $164.2 million globally, making it the No. 1 film at the U.S. box office and the highest-earning Broadway-to-screen adaptation debut yet.

The weekend box office saw a massive boost with “Wicked” and “Gladiator 2” raking in a combined $270.2 million globally, signaling strong momentum heading into the holiday season. Universal’s “Wicked” achieved $114 million domestically,

Earlier this year, all indications pointed to Gladiator II being fall’s must-see movie. Here’s how the Roman combat epic lost its advantage.