Tom Nunan, the co-head of the Producers Program at the Graduate School of Theater, Film and TV at UCLA, told The New York Times in an email that “’Glicked’ may not be ‘Barbenheimer,’” but that it’s still something to celebrate.

Two of the most highly anticipated films of the year have been released. 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' are now in theaters, and many are wondering if the two productions will replicate the success of 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer,' which resulted in the 'Barbenheimer' phenomenon.

Wicked” and “Gladiator II” both drew less in Thursday previews than their “Barbenheimer” counterparts, but are still expected to help the fall box office.

Instead of the two big-budget films losing ticket sales to each other, as conventional Hollywood wisdom would have feared, both movies drew a door-busting boost from audiences watching them on the same weekend,

Wicked” and “Gladiator II” both open Friday, and some fans hope to rekindle the excitement that greeted last year’s simultaneous openings of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.”

The sequel to the Oscar-winning hit 2000 film, “Gladiator II” brings back the original director Ridley Scott, along with stars Connie Nielsen, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington.

"Barbenheimer" was a phenomenon impossible to manufacture. But, more than a year later, that hasn't stopped people from trying to make "Glicked" — or even "Babyratu" — happen. See an interview with the "Gladiator II" cast in the video above The counterprogramming of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" in July 2023 hit a nerve culturally and had the receipts to back it up.

Glicked' rolls off the tongue a little bit more,” actor Fred Hechinger said at the New York screening of “Gladiator II” this week. “I think we should all band around ‘Glicked.’ It gets too confusing if you have four or five different names for it.