When it comes to the box office battle between Universal’s Wicked, in which Jeff Goldblum plays the Wizard, and Paramount’s Gladiator II, it will not be a survival of the fittest.
Deadline’s Natalie Sitek asked him at Saturday night’s Wicked LA premiere about the Glicked effect that’s expected to take place at the box office on Nov. 22 with Wicked expected to do $85M+ and Gladiator II north of $65M, and Goldblum emphasized, “”Nobody’s in competition — it’s an abundance mentality world with enough to go around.” Also, don’t forget, Disney’s Moana 2 is opening five days after Wicked with female moviegoers expected to do another go-round at cinemas over the Thanksgiving 5-day period.
“That’s part of the theme of our show!” he continued.
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Duly note, that the actor of Annie Hall, The Fly, Transylvania 6-5000 and Jurassic Park said, “I want to see Gladiator II!”
Goldblum also spoke about working with Wicked filmmaker Jon M. Chu.
“When I found out about it, I jumped up and down about it like a child of ten. I had been a fan of the show. I had met Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel backstage after crying my eyes out. I followed it for 20 years. I heard they were going to make a movie, so I was very excited,” Goldblum said.
The actor said that when he saw Chu’s feature take of Broadway musical, In the Heights, he was blown away.
“He gave me his beautiful vision, which was distinct and interesting,” said Goldblum about Chu’s pitch for Wicked.
“He has a way of bringing set-piece musical numbers, dance and singing, to the screen in every bit a delightful a way as when you see a Broadway show. And he mixes it up with naturalistic, cinematic, modern nuanced complicated acting,” said Goldblum about working with Chu.
“Being around Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, and being next to them, and just looking into their eyes, that gives you all sorts of life you didn’t expect, and you’ll never be the same after.”