Nov 24 (Reuters) - "Wicked," the first of two movies

based on a beloved Broadway musical, soared into theaters with

an estimated $114 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales,

distributor Universal Pictures said on Sunday.

"Wicked" stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the story

of how a misunderstood, green-skinned student of magic becomes

the Wicked Witch of the West.

Competitor "Gladiator II", the sequel to a movie that took

the Oscar for best picture two decades ago, brought in $55.5

million in domestic theaters, said Paramount Pictures, which is

part of Paramount Global ( PARAA ).

Based on a Broadway prequel to "The Wizard of Oz", the

movie "Wicked" pulled in $114 million at U.S. and Canadian

theaters, plus $50.2 million in international markets, for an

estimated global total of $164.2 million.

Universal said "Wicked" had the biggest opening weekend for

a film based on a Broadway musical, ahead of the global debut of

"Les Miserables".

"Gladiator II" stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel

Washington in a story set in ancient Rome, 16 years after the

original film.

The sword-and-sandal epic earned $50.5 million in sales

globally, bringing the weekend box office total to $106 million.

Its total box office tally reached $221 million, reflecting the

film's release last week in markets outside the U.S.