Having played in theaters worldwide for over a month and a half,Gladiator IIis about to conclude its run with over $450 million worldwide. The swords-and-sandals epic is already available to watch at home and is just around $15 million shy of overtaking the originalGladiator, which was released in 2000. Combined,the two Gladiator films have passed a major global box office milestone; perhaps the final one until directorRidley Scottdelivers a third installment, as planned. Currently, the combined gross of both movies stands at just over$900 million worldwide.
Gladiator IIwill probably not be able to make up the $15 million difference in the time that it has remaining in theaters. Additionally, taking inflation and average ticket prices into account, there can be no comparison between the number of people who’ve actually paid to watch both films. The original Gladiator was probably seen by thousands more in theaters — the movie was also better received. Somewhat surprisingly,it won the Best Picture Oscar, in addition to earning starRussell Crowea Best Actor honor for his performance as the vengeful warrior Maximus.
Crowe wasn’t invited back for the sequel, which is led byPaul Mescal. Produced ona reported budget of over $200 million,Gladiator IIcost around twice as much to produce as the original. It appears to have settled at a “fresh” 71% rating on the aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, but the consensus is that it’s inferior to the original. While the action scenes andDenzel Washington’s supporting performance have been acclaimed, there has been some criticism of the film’s narrative, which many noted was quite similar to that of the original.In his review, Collider’sRoss Bonaimewrote that “the shadow of Maximus looms large over the entire project, for better or worse.”
Will There Be a ‘Gladiator III’?
Scott intends to make a third film, also starring Mescal. Thanks toGladiator II’s performance, his career box office haul passed the $5 billion mark worldwide recently. Scott is nowthe ninth-highest-grossing filmmaker in history, andGladiator IIis his third-biggest hit, behind the originalGladiator, andThe Martian. you may watch the movie in theaters and at home, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Gladiator II
Lucius Verus, the son of Maximus’s beloved Lucilla, returns to Rome after years in the wilderness. Captured by Roman forces led by General Marcus Acacius, he is thrust into the gladiatorial arena. As he battles for survival, he encounters Macrinus, a former slave-turned-merchant, and faces the corrupt twin emperors Caracalla and Geta.
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