Paramount can perhaps breathe easy now; Gladiator II, the big-budget sequel directed by Ridley Scott, is poised to emerge as a bona fide hit after a massive opening this past weekend. The movie debuted internationally a week prior to its stateside release, and has already recovered its reported budget at the global box office. On its fifth day of release domestically, the movie was able to pass another significant milestone, as it hurtles towards the $300 million mark this weekend.
With $67 million domestically and another $165 million in overseas markets, Gladiator II has so far generated $230 million worldwide. The movie was produced on a reported budget of $210 million, although a THR report suggested that costs had ballooned to over $300 million because of the industry-wide strikes and Scott’s shooting style. But the filmmaker dismissed these reports in a recent NYT interview, and said that he actually brought the movie in under budget.
A sequel to his blockbuster original film, Gladiator II opened to mostly positive reviews, and currently sits at a “fresh” 71% approval rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. In his review, Collider’s Ross Bonaime called it a “strange beast of a movie,” and singled out Denzel Washington’s supporting performance as the scheming Macrinus as the film’s highlight. While Washington has been acclaimed for playing the antagonist, response to Paul Mescal’s central performance as Hanno has been mixed.
‘Gladiator II’ Earned Positive Reviews for Its Action, But Mixed Response to Paul Mescal’s Performance
The young Irish actor took over the franchise from Russell Crowe, who won an Oscar for his role in the original Gladiator. That film also took home the Academy Award for Best Picture, and ended up grossing over $460 million worldwide. Gladiator II is already the second-biggest film of Washington’s celebrated career, and among the top 10 biggest films of Scott’s career.
The movie follows Hanno on a vengeful quest against the Romans responsible for murdering his loved ones. Gladiator II boasts numerous inventive battle sequences, including one that involves ships and sharks. It also leans more heavily on palace intrigue than the first film. But there has been some criticism for its disjointed narrative, which could be a side-effect of the film being chopped down from a four-hour-long original cut, and for the erasure of actor May Calamawy. The movie also stars Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Fred Hechinger, and Joseph Quinn. You can watch Gladiator II in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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.
- Cast
- Paul Mescal , Pedro Pascal , Denzel Washington , Connie Nielsen , Joseph Quinn , Fred Hechinger , Derek Jacobi , May Calamawy , Peter Mensah , Matt Lucas , Alexander Karim , Tim McInnerny , Lee Charles , Chidi Ajufo , Alfie Tempest , Riana Duce , Chi Lewis Parry , Paul Candelent , Hadrian Howard , Alexander Simkin , Mikhail Basmadjian , Matthew Charlery-Smith , Maxime Durand , Lior Raz