I found another Golden Globes celebration in the Middle East that no one knew about

Times of discover News: Last week I had a sort of semi-hallucinatory experience. Over the past few days, I've seen not one, but two big, big budget, star vehicle, non-franchise movies on the big screen. I'm sure we've had some great epics outside of the "action comedy" realm lately, but at this point, I can't think of them, The two I'm talking about are Wicked and Gladiator II. No reviews here, but what an amazing week it was to have these two premiere.

Both are, in fact, based on IPs from elsewhere; they're not entirely scripted. But one is based on a Broadway play (inspired by an 85-year-old film) and the other is a follow-up to a Best Picture winner from 24 years ago, so old it might as well be an alternate dimension, yes, they're IPs, but not exactly your latest Fast & Furious or Marvel installments.

Both have suddenly launched product tie-ins and lavish marketing campaigns with indispensable stars. G2's $30 million Pepsi-NFL tie-up featuring Travis Kelce. A star-studded international tour across seven major cities that, among other things, included Formula 1 icons in Ferrari tie-ins, and ultimately culminated in the biggest Chinese theater makeover I've ever seen, this famous theater turned Coliseum-Inn.

Meanwhile, in the run-up to Wicked last month, Ariana Grande was omnipresent with beauty brand R.E.M. with a cool capsule collection and a similar brand deal with Universal's sister brand Comcast.

Some people will prefer one or the other, but both are great movies with a cast of thousands, designed to surprise you in every frame, built around real stars, and both are CGI/AI cookies - not version cutter... all the other action comedies. Both are things you don't see every day.

The best part is that they're pitted against each other - needless to say, Moana 2 is also in the running. It's a good old shootout of Hollywood movies entertaining big crowds. All of this could lead to the greatest holiday season in history.

If movies are going to be back at the center of people's imaginations so that a new generation is eager to put down their phones and join the journey, then so be it - with many more months and such a big change.

As far as the Oscar race goes, it seems like it's making a comeback as recently as the Spirit Awards - if you don't have room for some big studio films on the list, they'll be on an unforgettable journey a year ago. Maybe that's moved up again.

It's also interesting to see both Wicked and Gladiator return to their Hollywood roots. G2 is a knife and sandal epic - practically the first genre blockbuster in Hollywood - and Wicked is a family musical fantasy based on one of the defining cornerstones of Hollywood movies.

The hunger for great stories told on a grand scale that take us beyond our everyday lives is the fuel that built Hollywood and shines brighter than ever in human hearts. 'This is a time when this industry has the courage and showmanship to stand up and meet that need. Let's see if we can get there again.