Note: This piece was written in advance of the movies’ 11/21 release date.

We all remember the magic of “Barbenheimer,” the summer 2023 dual release date for the movies “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” What many predicted to be a cutthroat box office competition instead resulted in a collaboration, with moviegoers flocking to see both films as a double feature. And why wouldn’t they? In addition to a wave of Barbenheimer memes on social media, the two films were genuinely great, each scoring an Academy Award nomination for “Best Picture.” It’s no surprise, then, that movie theaters and film companies are itching to replicate the success of Barbenheimer, which brought in a lot of revenue for both parties. That’s how we’ve ended up with “Glicked.”

For those unaware, Glicked is the name of the shared premiere date for “Wicked” and “Gladiator II.” I have every reason to believe that this pairing is going to fall far, far short of Barbenheimer, in terms of both box office revenue and critical acclaim; the latter will likely lead to the former. While I could be proven wrong, I’d like to explore some of the issues both movies face so Case Western Reserve University student moviegoers aren’t surprised on opening weekend when one or both movies don’t live up to their expectations.

I’ll begin with “Wicked,” as the cracks in this film are a little easier to spot. First off, although the name lacks the critical “Part 1” at the end, “Wicked” is in fact only the first part of a two-film series. The choice to split this story in half truly baffles me. The film has a two-hour and 40 minute runtime, longer than the entirety of the Broadway musical that it is based on. I will say that it is difficult to do a one-to-one translation of a stage production to a movie, as theater requires less suspension of disbelief by the audience and therefore less time devoted to exposition, but in no world are four hours needed to do justice to this story. I predict that “Wicked” will drag and be packed with boring, filler storylines.

Second—and maybe I’m alone in this thought—“Wicked” looks strangely fake for a movie with such a large visual effects budget, at least from what I’ve seen from the trailer. Its brightly-colored set design reminds me of “Barbie,” but that was supposed to look artificial. There’s also not enough props or people or maybe just enough detail in the environment to fill some of the shots, like in the one where Elphaba and Glinda board the train to the Emerald City. The scene looks empty and unnatural—the sky and wheat field each have an odd gray tinge—and it’s far from the only one.

I do want to mention that I think Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will give good performances, as they’re each talented vocalists with Broadway backgrounds. The reviews for the film that are in so far are also generally positive, with a few mixed ones thrown in. I’m just skeptical about the film’s ability to win over the majority of people watching on opening day.

“Gladiator II” suffers mainly from its sequel status. Variety called the film “ultimately a mere shadow” of the original “Gladiator,” which honestly isn’t a surprise. Hollywood has turned out sequels, remakes and reboots aplenty in the past five years, bringing in box office dollars on name recognition but failing to leave critics and moviegoers creatively satiated. Also, I must note that the film cut all scenes of Egyptian-Palestinian actress May Calamawy, who was expected to have a major role as leading man Paul Mescal’s love interest. It’s only a rumor at this point that the reason her scenes were cut was because she was outspoken about the crisis in Gaza, but even if that’s not true it’s still pretty alarming that they cut all of the screentime of one of the three women in the movie, and a woman of color at that.

All said and done, it’s never good to keep beating a dead horse. Barbenheimer worked because it was organic and novel. Glicked already feels like it’s resigned itself to being second-best. However, with all criticisms in mind, I will probably still be seeing “Wicked” as it seems like a fun, camp-y kind of bad movie. “Gladiator II,” on the other hand, feels tired at best and ethically questionable at worst. But to each their own—even if it’s not as exciting as Barbenheimer, it’s always fun to go to a movie theater, which is getting to be a rarer and rarer occurrence these days. If either film has caught your eye, I encourage you to go out and see it—but maybe not both.