Hollywood would love nothing more than for Wicked and Gladiator 2 to be the second coming of Barbenheimer. In 2023, Barbie and Oppenheimer fed off of each others’ success and became a pop culture moment for the ages. Wicked and Gladiator 2 will have to reach great heights for “Glicked” to really become a thing.
What we can tell you is that Wicked is going to win the head-to-head competition, with a projected opening north of $100 million this weekend. Gladiator 2‘s predicted opening is $65 million, which isn’t bad. But it’s about $15 million less than Oppenheimer pulled in against Barbie. Those numbers could change, and there may be some surprises with the final outcome.
Meanwhile, 2024 is winding down, with only a handful of great movies coming to theaters before the end of the year. You can find all of the big movies in our roundup of the best new movies coming to theaters in 2024.
Need more recommendations? Try the best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max (HBO), and more and the best new shows to stream on Netflix, Hulu, (HBO) Max, and more. You can also stream the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, and the best movies on Amazon Prime Video.
November 2024
Gladiator 2
Release date: November 22
Are you not entertained? The original Gladiator came out 24 years ago, and Ridley Scott only got around to making a sequel within the past few years. Gladiator 2 picks up roughly two decades later, with Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal) no longer a little boy who could inherit the Roman Empire. Instead, Lucius has rejected Rome and its ways while starting his own family in another country. But, Lucius cannot escape Rome’s grasp, especially when his adoptive home, wife, and child are taken by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal).
It’s pretty far to fall from nobility to slave, but Lucius watched Maximus rise from nothing in the first film to get his revenge. Now, it’s Lucius’ turn to become a gladiator and fight in the arena while looking for a way to bring down the entire empire around him.
Wicked
Release date: November 22
Almost everyone knows the story of The Wizard of Oz. But the smash Broadway play Wicked shed new light on the Wicked Witch of the West. The upcoming Wicked film will only cover the early part of the play while saving the rest for an inevitable sequel. Cynthia Erivo stars as Elphaba Thropp, the young witch who isn’t wicked … yet. However, people treat her so terribly that it’s no wonder she went bad.
The lone light in Elphaba’s life is her friendship with Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande). They have a strong bond, but their connection will be tested as Elphaba and Galinda are torn in opposite directions as they come into their magical powers.
Moana 2
Release date: November 27
The original Moana was a hit for Disney and an even bigger hit on Disney+. So much so that the planned Moana streaming series was reworked into Moana 2 at lightspeed, at least as fast as animated films go. Three years have passed since the first film, and Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) has emerged as a leader for her people. She also dotes on her new younger sister, Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda).
However, Moana’s desire to reunite all of the people of the ocean is threatened by the emergence of the goddess Matangi (Awhimai Fraser). Fortunately, Moana knows a god of her own … or at least a demigod, Maui (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson). Even with Maui’s help, Moana is greatly outmatched by Matangi, and the fate of her people is at stake.
December 2024
Werewolves
Release date: December 6
Ironically, Werewolves is hitting theaters on the same day as a similar movie, which has an expletive in the title that we can’t say on this site. Whereas that other film is a horror comedy, Werewolves is an unapologetic horror action flick pitting the title creatures against genre veteran Frank Grillo.
The premise of the film is that a supermoon turned millions of people into werewolves one year before the events of the story. It’s about to happen again, unless two scientists figure out how to stop the mutation from occurring. In the meantime, Wesley Marshall (Grillo) has to keep the scientists alive long enough to complete their work, even if it means going up against an army of werewolves.
Kraven the Hunter
Release date: December 13
Listen, we know that Kraven the Hunter is going to be a flop, and you probably know it too. When Joker: Folie à Deux is a massive bust and even Venom: The Last Dance can barely interest comic book movie fans, there’s really no hope that a second-string Spider-Man villain can hold down his own movie and bring in a big crowd. But we’ll say this: If Kraven is half as hilariously awful as Madame Web, then we have to see it for the unintentional comedy alone.
Two-time superhero actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson comes back to the genre for a third time as Kraven, whom the film inexplicably reenvisions as a hero with a vendetta against his brutal father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe). The trailer makes it look like Kraven was bitten by a radioactive lion that gave him superhuman senses and strength. Let’s just say that’s quite a departure from the source material. We’re still morbidly curious to see just how far this film is willing to run with that.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Release date: December 13
Here’s the biggest reason why Kraven the Hunter will flop: It’s going up against The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. This is a full-length anime set in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, approximately 183 years before the events of the novels. You may recall the epic battle of Helm’s Deep that closed out The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The War of the Rohirrim tells the history of that fort, as well as the man who built it, Helm Hammerhand (Succession‘s Brian Cox).
Helm’s kingdom is under assault from an army of Dunlendings, wild men who threaten to overthrow his family and spread terror throughout the land. We’re not going to spoil any specific details about the story, but let’s just say that there are reasons why statues of Helm Hammerhand are prominently featured in the live-action movies.
Mufasa: The Lion King
Release date: December 20
It’s kind of hard to make a sequel to The Lion King; just ask Disney! The Lion King 2 went direct-to-video in 1998! However, one of the major characters introduced in that film, Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), has a small role in this prequel film as she learns about her late grandfather, Mufasa (Aaron Pierre).
Before becoming the Pride Lands’ king, Mufasa was a young orphan taken in by the royal lions and embraced by his adoptive brother, Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). We know from The Lion King that Mufasa was ultimately named king, and Taka became the vengeful Scar. This film will reveal how they had their falling out and why Mufasa surpassed his adoptive brother in the eyes of their parents.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Release date: December 20
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is introducing Keanu Reeves as the voice of Shadow the Hedgehog. Sonic (Ben Schwartz) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) may have successfully welcomed Knuckles (Idris Elba) into their makeshift family, but Shadow is looking for revenge, and that trio is in his way.
Things are so desperate for Sonic and company that they actually turn to their old enemy, Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), for help. Yet, Robotnik is connected to Shadow’s creation in a way that even he never suspected.
