• Franchises and sequels dominated the 2024 box office, including "Inside Out 2" and "Deadpool & Wolverine."
• The only movie in the top 15 not based on an existing film was "Wicked," which was based on a Broadway musical.
• Sequels and franchises continue to be lucrative for studios.

Franchises, sequels, and adapted stories dominated the box office in 2024. Not a single original story cracked the top 15.

The highest-grossing films worldwide, according to numbers compiled by Box Office Mojo, included sequels like "Inside Out 2," "Dune: Part Two," and "Gladiator II," and franchise titles like "Deadpool & Wolverine," "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," and "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes."

"Wicked," based on a popular Broadway play, was the only film in the top 15 not based on an existing movie. "It Ends With Us," based on a popular book, came in at number 16, while "The Wild Robot," based on a kids' book, came in at number 18.

The top-grossing film not based on an existing movie, play, book, or comic was John Krasinski's "IF," which earned over $190 million globally and came in at number 24.

Films based on existing intellectual property have generally dominated the box office in recent years, though not always quite as much as in 2024.

In 2023, the top three highest-grossing films were "Barbie," "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," and "Oppenheimer." While those were based on a toy, a video game, and a book, none were sequels or part of an existing film franchise, unlike the top three in 2024. Two movies in the top 15 in 2023 — the Chinese film "No More Bets" and Pixar's "Elemental" — were original stories.

A survey commissioned by the streamer Tubi found that 74% of millennial and Gen Z respondents preferred originals to remakes. The survey, conducted by The Harris Poll in late 2023 and early 2024, included over 2,500 adults who streamed at least one hour of video a week.

The box office numbers, however, show that sequels and franchises tend to pay off for studios. That was true for Pixar in 2024. And despite indications of superhero fatigue, the success of "Deadpool & Wolverine" showed moviegoers aren't yet finished with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Michael O'Leary, the chief executive of the National Association of Theater Owners, told The New York Times about 76% of Americans aged 12 to 74 saw a movie in a theater in 2024.

"We feel very good, which is not something many of us would have said last year at this time," he said.

Plenty more sequels and franchise flicks are set to come out in 2025, from "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning" to a live-action "Lilo & Stitch" remake.

• Business Insider rounded up the highest-grossing movies of the year, according to Box Office Mojo.
• Sequels, superhero movies, and animated movies were among the top films.
• Two movies surpassed $1 billion globally: "Deadpool & Wolverine" and "Inside Out 2."

Film franchises dominated the worldwide box office this year.

This year's top-performing movies included animated films, superhero fare, a Godzilla and Kong team-up, and a return to Arrakis.

Keep reading to see which 15 movies came out on top at the box office in 2024.

All box-office numbers and Rotten Tomatoes scores on this list are current as of December 27, 2024, and are subject to change.

15. "It Ends With Us"

Worldwide gross: $350,986,018

Reported production budget: $25 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 55%

The film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel "It Ends With Us" was one of the biggest surprises at the 2024 box office.

In less than two weeks in theaters, the movie surpassed $180 million at the box office globally — a tremendous feat for a project that was reportedly financed for just $25 million. It's possible that fans of the book and those aware of the reports of a rift between Blake Lively and costar and director Justin Baldoni were intrigued by "It Ends With Us" and wanted to see what all the hype was about.

14. "Twisters"

Worldwide gross: $370,962,265

Reported production budget: $155 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 75%

After the box-office success of the rom-com "Anyone But You," Glen Powell continued his hot streak in Hollywood starring alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones in the stand-alone sequel to the 1996 disaster movie "Twister."

"Twisters" surpassed box office predictions, earning $32.2 million from release day and preview screenings and scoring a solid $80.5 million during its opening weekend.

13. "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes"

Worldwide gross: $397,378,150

Reported production budget: $160 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 80%

Although "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is one of the top-performing movies of the year, it earned the lowest global total compared to the three other films in the rebooted "Planet of the Apes" franchise.

12. "Bad Boys: Ride or Die"

Worldwide gross: $404,544,199

Reported production budget: $100 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 65%

Two years after his infamous slap at the Oscars, Will Smith made a comeback and regained box office glory with the fourth installment in the action-comedy franchise "Bad Boys."

"Ride or Die" was a hit domestically and overseas. In its opening weekend, the movie topped the global box office, making over $100 million and overperforming in key markets.

11. "Gladiator II"

Worldwide gross: $406,644,901

Reported production budget: $250 million to $300+ million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 71%

"Gladiator II," didn't win over critics as much as Ridley Scott's epic 2000 film "Gladiator," though many agreed that it delivered plenty of thrilling action sequences.

The sequel fell short of the first "Gladiator" movie at the box office too, grossing $100 million less — though still bringing in an impressive haul to end up on this list.

10. "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"

Worldwide gross: $451,100,435

Reported production budget: $100 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 76%

Nostalgic sequels don't always equate to success, but Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" was a slam dunk for Warner Bros.

Executives initially wanted the sequel to the 1988 "Beetlejuice" movie to forgo a theatrical release and head straight to streaming. But Burton disagreed. So they cut costs to lower the budget and justify a theatrical release — and it paid off.

"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" earned $41.5 million from release day and preview screenings, becoming the second-biggest opening day ever for a September release, after 2017's horror movie "It." The movie is also one of Burton's most commercially successful films.

9. "Venom: The Last Dance"

Worldwide gross: $476,368,152

Reported production budget: $120 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 41%

Sony's films about Spider-Man-adjacent characters don't have a great track record. But the "Venom" franchise, starring Tom Hardy, has become a fan favorite among the more disappointing and flat-out cringy movies. However, the third and final installment was the worst-performing "Venom" film at the box office.

8. "Kung Fu Panda"

Worldwide gross: $547,689,492

Reported production budget: $85 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 71%

The fourth "Kung Fu Panda" film, starring Jack Black as the voice of the panda named Po, earned the franchise's lowest critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes but racked up $26.5 million more than 2016's "Kung Fu Panda 3."

7. "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire"

Worldwide gross: $571,750,016

Reported production budget: $135 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 54%

"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," centered on the titular gargantuan creatures teaming up after being enemies in 2021's "Godzilla vs. Kong," rocked the box office.

"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" surpassed box office projections in its opening weekend and became the second-biggest debut for Warner Bros. and Legendary's shared MonsterVerse franchise.

With $571 million earned globally, "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" is now the highest-grossing movie in the Monsterverse.

6. "Wicked"

Worldwide gross: $586,301,620

Reported production budget: $150 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 88%

Jon M. Chu's film adaptation of the wildly popular stage musical of the same name was a critical and commercial success.

"Glicked," the combined name for the rivalry between "Gladiator II" and "Wicked," was this year's version of the 2023 "Barbenheimer" phenomenon. In the battle between gladiators and witches, the latter was the clear winner. "Wicked" earned a higher Rotten Tomatoes score and has grossed over half a billion at the global box office, so far.

Despite not being explicitly advertised as such, "Wicked" is the first in a two-part franchise. The sequel, "Wicked: For Good," hits theaters in November 2025.

5. "Dune: Part Two"

Worldwide gross: $714,444,358

Reported production budget: $190 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 92%

Following the success of the 2021 "Dune" adaptation, Denis Villeneuve released a sequel that completed Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet) journey from Frank Herbert's first "Dune" novel.

Hailed by critics as a "sci-fi masterpiece," the 2024 sequel was rated higher and grossed $300 million more worldwide than "Dune: Part One."

4. "Moana 2"

Worldwide gross: $820,990,553

Reported production budget: $150 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 61%

"Moana 2" didn't make nearly as big a splash in pop culture as the original film did with catchy songs like "How Far I'll Go" and "You're Welcome." The sequel also had a drastically lower rating on Rotten Tomatoes than "Moana," which landed a 95% critics score.

Regardless, "Moana 2" performed much higher at the box office and was a clear win for Disney. The movie even broke Thanksgiving box office records, racking up $380 million globally at the time.

3. "Despicable Me 4"

Worldwide gross: $969,126,452

Reported production budget: $100 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 56%

Since the first "Despicable Me" movie was released in 2010, the franchise has been lucrative for Illumination Entertainment and Universal Studios.

The fourth installment fell short of earning $1 billion, which "Despicable Me 3" achieved in 2017. "Despicable Me 4" also received the lowest critics score of all the movies on Rotten Tomatoes.

2. "Deadpool & Wolverine"

Worldwide gross: $1,338,073,645

Reported production budget: $200 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 78%

Some recent entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have received middling reactions from fans and critics alike, but the success of "Deadpool & Wolverine" indicates that perhaps the superhero slump might be over.

The third installment of the "Deadpool" franchise earned a lower critic score on Rotten Tomatoes than the previous two movies. But the Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman team-up surpassed the global earnings of its predecessors and is one of two films released in 2024 to hit $1 billion at the box office.

After less than 30 days in theaters, "Deadpool & Wolverine" dethroned Todd Phillips' 2019 film "Joker" to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.

1. "Inside Out 2"

Worldwide gross: $1,698,765,616

Reported production budget: $200 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 91%

"Inside Out 2" fully surpassed expectations, grossing $155 million domestically and $295 million worldwide in its debut three-day weekend. The "Inside Out" sequel also earned the second-biggest domestic opening ever for an animated movie, following "Incredibles 2." It ended up being the highest-grossing film of 2024.

• Disney's "Moana 2" broke Thanksgiving box office records, bringing in $380 million globally.
• In previous years, Disney struggled at the Thanksgiving weekend box office with "Wish" and "Strange World."
• Originally created as a series, "Moana 2" was shifted to a film, boosting Disney's theatrical strategy.

First, Disney proved it was still king of the summer movie season with the enormous success of "Deadpool & Wolverine." Now, the studio has also reclaimed its hold on the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with "Moana 2."

The sequel to the beloved 2016 animated movie brought in over $380 million worldwide in its first five days in theaters, which included over $220 million domestically. The latter is a new five-day Thanksgiving box office record, surpassing the $125 million "Frozen 2" earned in 2019.

The success of "Moana 2" was much needed for Disney, and for its animation division in particular, as the past few Thanksgivings have not been so bountiful.

For roughly the last decade, the Disney titles released over Thanksgiving were usually guaranteed box office coin, with animated fare like "Coco" (2017) and both "Frozen" movies (2013, 2019) notching major wins for the studio. But 2022 and 2023, the post-COVID years when audiences began returning to theaters, were a bust: "Strange World" and "Wish" took in $19 million and $32 million respectively on their five-day Thanksgiving opening weekends in 2022 and 2023.

In 2024, Disney is faring better. The over $1 billion take "Inside Out 2" made in June proved that audiences were out of the COVID-era haze of waiting to see Disney animated titles at home, especially Pixar movies. The success of "Moana 2" confirms that families want to see their animation on the big screen.

And it was Disney's fast thinking at the eleventh hour that kept the momentum going.

"Even the Disney brass were apparently unaware how beloved this property was as it was very close to going straight to streaming," Exhibitor Relations senior analyst Jeff Bock told Business Insider.

That's right. The "Moana" sequel was originally developed as a series for Disney+.

"Moana: The Series" was announced at the Disney Investor Day in 2020, with the plan being to delve deeper into the characters and mythology in the "Moana" franchise. But in February 2024, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced the change from series to sequel, stating on an earnings call that Disney executives were "impressed" by early footage and felt it "deserved a theatrical release."

Looking back on the sequel's journey to the screen, codirector David Derrick Jr. said that starting with the larger scope a TV series provides ultimately strengthened the story when it was adapted into a feature.

"What the series gave us was an opportunity to get to know these characters intimately, the way you can with a series, but what we were doing in the story just begged for a bigger and bigger screen," he told Collider.

"So, as soon as we funneled all of the learnings from our new characters through Moana's journey, it actually just strengthened Moana's growth and the theme of the story. So, there wasn't, for me, anything left out from the series. We were able to learn things from the series that just supercharged the feature."

Pivoting from series to feature was also a savvy business decision. After the COVID box-office slump, many studios realized that movies released exclusively in theaters didn't just bring more profitability in the initial release, but also fueled secondary windows like streaming.

Perhaps Disney brass realized in the four years from announcing the series to changing it to a feature-length film that despite the slumping box office, rededicating itself to a "Moana" theatrical release would generate more profit than it would if it were a streaming release alone.

Even after "Moana 2" eventually hits streaming, there will be more "Moana" coming. The live-action version of the movie, which stars Dwayne Johnson in the flesh as Maui, is coming in summer 2026.

But should Disney be scared of "Moana" burnout?

"I doubt it," Bock said. "'Moana' is officially the hottest IP in Disney's vast kingdom. 2026 is the perfect spacing."

• Disney's "Moana 2" set a new five-day Thanksgiving box office record with $221 million in sales.
• The previous record was held by "Frozen II," which brought $125 million in 2019.
• "Moana 2," "Wicked," and "Gladiator II" contributed to the $420 million in box office sales over Thanksgiving.

"Moana 2" made a big splash at the box office over Thanksgiving weekend.

The highly anticipated sequel to the 2016 Disney film has brought in $221 million in domestic ticket sales since opening on Wednesday — the first day of the five-day Thanksgiving weekend — based on studio estimates.

The film broke the five-day Thanksgiving box office record, surpassing the $125 million record set by "Frozen II" in 2019. Before that, the title was held by "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," which brought in $109.9 million in 2013.

The Thanksgiving box office weekend has also seen the continued success of "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" — both of which were released on November 22.

Like "Barbenheimer," fans have dubbed the movies "Glicked" thanks to their coincidental release date.

During the five-day Thanksgiving period, "Wicked" — which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo — brought in $117.5 million domestically, while "Gladiator II" — which stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal — earned $44 million, based on estimates from IMDB's Box Office Mojo.

The three films contributed to the $420 million raked in over the five-day period — the best-ever Thanksgiving box office sales, surpassing the $315.6 million record set over the same period in 2018, according to Comscore data, per NBC.

Based on studio estimates, "Moana 2" has made $386 million globally so far.

In 2016, "Moana" also topped box offices on Thanksgiving weekend with $81 million in ticket sales.

It was released on Disney+ in 2019 and was the most-watched movie on a streaming platform in the US in 2023, with over 11.3 billion minutes streamed, per data from Nielsen.

A representative from Comscore did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

• These movies had huge budgets that producers expected would turn in huge profits when released.
• However, the films lost millions of dollars for studios after hitting theaters.
• The first "Joker" movie grossed over a billion dollars. Its sequel made just over $200 million.

When "Joker" was released in 2019, it grossed over $1 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing R-rated movie at the time, and its star, Joaquin Phoenix, won an Academy Award.

Greenlighting a sequel was a no-brainer.

However, "Joker: Folie à Deux," which was released in October, made just a fifth of what its predecessor earned at the box office, joining a long list of films that — surprisingly — nobody wanted to see.

Though producers, directors, and cast members likely assumed the films on this list would be box-office smashes, many ended up losing tens of millions of dollars. Some lost hundreds of millions.

Take a look at the films that were surprise box-office bombs.

Zoë Ettinger contributed to an earlier version of this story.

"Joker: Folie à Deux" was a failure for Warner Bros this year.

No matter how controversial the first "Joker" film was, it was a financial success — it was the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever (until this year's "Deadpool & Wolverine") and made over $1 billion worldwide.

If you had told anyone in 2019 that the sequel to "Joker" would barely cross the $200 million threshold, they would not have believed you.

According to estimates by Variety, the film could lose its studio anywhere from $125 to $200 million.

To make matters worse, it also earned the rare "D" on CinemaScore, meaning that nobody saw it, and the people who did hated it.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe had its first real bomb on its hands with 2023's "The Marvels."

The MCU is the most successful film franchise of all time, raking in billions of dollars for Disney. But the cracks started to show with "The Marvels," which had the lowest opening of any MCU movie at just $65 million.

Forbes reported the film lost a staggering $237 million, even though it wasn't actually as bad as some people on the internet would have you believe.

The 2001 Muhammad Ali biopic "Ali" starred A-lister Will Smith as the iconic boxer, but the film lost Sony millions of dollars.

The biographical film about the life of boxer Muhammad Ali had a $107 million production cost that was raised to $118 million after director Michael Mann moved filming to Africa, according to Bomb Report.

Box Office Mojo estimates the film made just $87.8 million worldwide. Sony was reportedly on the hook for over $100 million when including marketing costs.

In 2003, Brad Pitt and Catherine Zeta-Jones starred in the animated film "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas," but not even they could prevent the movie from losing $125 million at the box office.

DreamWorks co-founder David Geffen has publicly stated the film, centering around a legendary sailor framed for stealing a sacred book, lost the studio $125 million, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Based on the famous Macedonian king, the 2004 film "Alexander" starred Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie at the peak of their powers, but it lost about $71 million.

The film, about the life of Alexander the Great, had a reported budget of $155 million. According to Bomb Report, the film's gross sank 65.2% in its second weekend and another 68.9% in week three. Overall, production company Intermedia posted a $29.4 million loss for the year.

The 2004 film "Around the World in 80 Days" starred Jackie Chan straight from two successful "Rush Hour" films, but his popularity couldn't save the movie.

Based on the beloved adventure novel by Jules Verne about traveling the world in 80 days, the film had an estimated budget of $110 million, but only made $72 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

The film is most notable now, perhaps, for being the last acting role of Arnold Schwarzenegger before he became the governor of California.

In 2005, A-listers Jamie Foxx, Josh Lucas, and Jessica Biel starred in "Stealth" — it was a notorious flop.

The film is about three top Navy fighter pilots tasked with manning a drone-like plane. It had a budget of $138 million and was directed by "The Fast and Furious" director Rob Cohen — so everyone had high expectations.

However, it lost at least $56 million due to box-office deficits, and likely even more after taking out movie theaters' cuts and marketing costs, according to Box Office Mojo.

"Sahara" starred Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz, but it lost an estimated $78 million at the box office in 2005.

The film follows a treasure hunter as he travels to Africa in search of a long-lost ship. It had a reported production cost of $160 million. The Los Angeles Times reported it lost the studio $78 million, and called it "one of the biggest financial flops in Hollywood history."

In 2006, Kurt Russell starred in "Poseidon," which lost an estimated $69 million.

"Poseidon" is a remake of the original beloved film, 1972's "The Poseidon Adventure." The disaster movie about a sinking cruise ship had a budget of $160 million. After everything, it lost the studio $69 million, Business Insider previously reported.

"Evan Almighty," the 2007 spin-off of the mega-hit "Bruce Almighty," lost an estimated $50 million.

The film centered around the biblical tale of Noah's ark, and it starred Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman. It had an estimated budget of $175 million and even became the most expensive comedy of all time, according to Reuters.

But, according to Bomb Report, the film lost one of its backers $50 million.

Martin Scorsese's 2011 film "Hugo" lost an estimated $80 million at the box office.

The film about a young orphan living in a train station starred young actors Asa Butterfield and Chloë Grace Moretz. It ended up going $80 million over budget, according to Bomb Report, and lost the studio $80 million — proving that not every Scorsese film is a box-office hit.

"Green Lantern" co-starred Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, both beloved stars, but it had an estimated $75 million box-office loss in 2011.

The superhero film about a test pilot who gets a powerful alien ring had an estimated budget of $200 million, but it barely broke even at the box office. Overall, the studio took a $75 million loss, according to Bomb Report.

At the time, superhero films were in the middle of a renaissance after movies like "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight" had proven that comic-book movies had mass appeal. But, "Green Lantern's" failure shows that a built-in fan base doesn't always lead to success.

"Pan," the 2015 reimagining of "Peter Pan," starred box office draw Hugh Jackman, but it ended up losing the studio up to $150 million.

"Pan" had an estimated budget of $150 million, but its offensive casting of Rooney Mara as the Native American character Tiger Lily, its heavy reliance on CGI, and general disinterest in another "Peter Pan" film led the movie to box-office bomb status, The New York Times reported.

 The Hollywood Reporter predicted that the film "could see losses in the $130 million to $150 million range" back in 2015.

The 2016 sequel "Alice Through the Looking Glass" which starred Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway, lost an estimated $70 million.

A sequel to the 2010 Tim Burton film "Alice in Wonderland," "Alice Through the Looking Glass" had an estimated budget of $170 million and ended up costing Disney an estimated $70 million — especially shocking, considering that the first film topped $1 billion.

Steven Spielberg's 2016 adaptation of "The BFG," based on Roald Dahl's book of the same name, was estimated to have lost at least $90 million.

The film follows the Big Friendly Giant as he befriends a young orphan Sophie, even though it goes against giant nature. It had an estimated budget of $140 million, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, "lost $90 million to $100 million for partners Disney, Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Participant Media."

It's one of the acclaimed director's biggest flops.

The 2017 film "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" is based on one of the most famous tales of all time, but it ended up losing an estimated $150 million.

The film follows a young Arthur after the murder of his father and his quest to gain back the throne of Camelot. It had an estimated budget of $175 million and only grossed $148 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Forbes blamed the lack of movie stars, extensive re-shoots, and an inflated budget, among other things, for the film's reported $150 million loss.

"Justice League" had a star-studded cast and an unreal amount of hype, but it lost Warner Bros. somewhere between $50 and $100 million in 2017.

DC's answer to Marvel's "Avengers" superhero team-up movie had an estimated budget of $300 million. Business Insider reported that the film could have cost Warner Bros. up to $100 million.

The 2018 fantasy would-be epic "A Wrinkle in Time" was based on a hit novel produced by Disney and starred Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling — but it still flopped.

The mind-bending story of young Meg's journey across time and space to rescue her father from darkness had a reported budget of $103 million, and Yahoo Finance reported that Disney lost between $86 million and $186 million on the film.

Though "Star Wars" films are usually a hit, 2018's "Solo: A Star Wars Story" reportedly lost an estimated $76 million.

The film follows a young Han Solo (played by Alden Ehrenreich), the most iconic space smuggler of all time, as he meets his future partner and best friend Chewbacca, future frenemy Lando Calrissian, and a heretofore unknown love interest Qi'ra.

It had an estimated budget of $275 million. Though the film made over $392 million worldwide, that's nothing when you compare it to the $2 billion gross of "The Force Awakens," and the $1 billion grosses of "The Last Jedi" and "The Rise of Skywalker."

Based on the hit musical, the 2019 adaptation of "Cats" was a box office flop, losing between $71 and $113 million.

The CGI-heavy movie about a tribe of cats called the Jellicles had an estimated budget of $95 million and a famously cursed production. Though "Cats" is a beloved musical and ran on Broadway for years, audiences didn't show the film version the same love. Deadline calculated losses at approximately $113.6 million.

"Dolittle" was supposed to be Robert Downey Jr.'s follow-up to "Avengers," but it was the first big flop of 2020.

The film about a doctor who can talk to animals had an estimated budget of $175 million and an all-star voice cast including Tom Holland, Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, Octavia Spencer, and more. That didn't stop Vulture from calling it "2020's first official mega-flop."

The Observer estimated that "Dolittle" needed to make $500 million to turn a profit and with a final gross of just half that, you can be sure that no one at Universal was pleased with those results.

• 'Wicked,' 'Gladiator II,' and 'Moana 2' are all in theaters this Thanksgiving weekend.
• The three films may bring in more box office sales than pre-pandemic Thanksgiving weekends.
• 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' hit theaters on November 22, and "Moana 2" premiered on November 27.

This Thanksgiving box office line-up will be the most successful of the post-pandemic era — and could be one of the most successful in history.

It started on November 22, when "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" premiered in theaters.

"Wicked," directed by Jon M. Chu, is based on one of Broadway's longest-running shows. Fans have been anticipating the film adaptation since the musical first hit the stage in 2003.

"Gladiator II" is a sequel to the original film, released in 2000.

The films topped the box office opening weekend. "Gladiator II" made $106 million in ticket sales, while "Wicked" brought in $164 million. "Wicked" also had a higher opening weekend than any other other film based on a Broadway show.

"Moana 2," the sequel to the 2016 Disney film, hit theaters on November 27 — day one of the five-day Thanksgiving weekend. It's projected to bring in between $135 and $145 million, per Variety.

In 2016, "Moana" topped box offices on Thanksgiving weekend with $81 million in ticket sales.

"The trifecta of 'Moana 2,' 'Wicked,' and 'Gladiator II' is a bona fide perfect storm for movie theaters this Thanksgiving," Fandango analytics director and Box Office Theory founder Shawn Robbins told CNBC. He predicted 2024 Thanksgiving weekend box office sales would surpass the $200 million made in 2019 — and be among the most lucrative in the history of cinema.

"The holiday used to regularly see major releases combining for all-audience appeal, but that's been a challenge for the industry to replicate in the post-pandemic era so far," he told CNBC. "This year is much different with such a holy trinity of tentpole releases that could anchor some of the biggest all-around box office results the holiday frame has ever seen."

• "Wicked" is now the highest-grossing Broadway musical adaptation of all time.
• It beat "Mamma Mia!" which held the record for 16 years.
• Here are all the records "Wicked" has broken and how it compares to other blockbuster musicals.

"Wicked" has broken its third box office record, beating "Mamma Mia!" to become the highest-grossing film adaptation of a Broadway musical.

But it still has a way to go to surpass the highest-grossing musical films of all time, which have made over $1 billion in ticket sales.

In its opening weekend in November, "Wicked" made $164 million at the box office: the biggest opening weekend of a film based on a Broadway adaptation domestically and globally, trumping the previous record-holders "Les Misérables" and "Into the Woods."

By Sunday, it had grossed $634 million, beating the 16-year record set by "Mamma Mia!" which made $611 million in ticket sales.

"Wicked" was also the year's highest-grossing film that wasn't a sequel, the third highest-grossing film domestically — beaten only by "Deadpool & Wolverine" and "Inside Out 2" — and the sixth highest-grossing movie worldwide.

'Wicked' will need to make over a billion dollars to compete with the biggest movie musicals

"Wicked" was pitted against, and beat, "Gladiator II" at the box office, after the two films were released in the US on the same date. But Disney's "Moana 2" overtook both, grossing $882 million worldwide.

But the biggest rival of "Wicked" is the 2019 live-action remake of "The Lion King," which made $1.6 billion in ticket sales to become the 10th highest-grossing film of all time and the highest-grossing musical film ever. "Frozen," "Frozen II," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Aladdin" all grossed over a billion dollars in total, too.

All of these films, except "Frozen," which achieved less, grossed between $200 and $450 million in their debut weekend.

Rob Mitchell, the director of theatrical insights at film industry research firm Gower Street Analytics, told Business Insider in November after "Wicked" was released that he expected it to surpass "Mamma Mia" but doubted the Oz adaptation would reach the same heights as "The Lion King."

He said the fan base of the stage musical, Ariana Grande's star power, and the multi-generational appeal of the Oz story were behind the movie's success.

"The main reason will just be that it is a superb production," Mitchell added. "It's the type of big-screen spectacle that cinema was made for."

• Jon M. Chu's "Wicked" premiered in theaters on November 22.
• "Wicked" topped the domestic box office with an estimated $114 million.
• The film has earned an estimated $164.2 million worldwide so far.

"Wicked" is soaring at the box office.

Universal Pictures' highly anticipated — and heavily promoted — film topped the domestic box office with an estimated $114 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend. With an additional estimated $50.2 million in the international market, Deadline reported that the film has had the biggest worldwide opening for a Broadway feature adaptation.

Director Jon M. Chu's "Wicked" is a prequel to "The Wizard of Oz" that invites audiences to learn how the Wicked Witch of the West came to be. The star-studded cast includes Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, and several other actors who bring the magical realm to the silver screen.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Universal splurged on "Wicked," spending more than $320 million to create the two-part film. While it's unclear what portion of the budget went toward marketing, the musical themes, cast, and iconic pink and green motif have been ubiquitous for months in brand partnerships, including Starbucks and Stanley cups.

"Wicked" is based on the eponymous Broadway musical inspired by Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel. This film only covers part of the musical. A second film is expected to hit theaters in November 2025.

But the witchy "Wicked" isn't the only big-budget film gaining attention this Thanksgiving week.

Ridley Scott's "Gladiator II" also debuted in American theaters on Friday, prompting movie fans to dub the phenomenon "Glicked." It's reminiscent of 2023's record-breaking blockbuster July when Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" and Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" — dubbed "Barbenheimer" — both took Hollywood by storm.

"Gladiator II" also has a stacked cast with Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal.

The action film earned an estimated $55.5 million domestically. It debuted overseas a week earlier, however, and has so far grossed an estimated $165 million from the international market, Variety reported.