Gladiator II had been a long time coming, with Ridley Scott's legacy sequel spending many years on the development table. Therefore, when it arrived, and considering the original's major almost-perfect reputation, the bar had been set extremely high. Alas, Scott and co seem to have produced success, with the movie still able to match the box office figures of its predecessor. Compared to the first Gladiator's $451 million globally, Gladiator II has already achieved a strong worldwide haul of $368 million, with last weekend's $12.5 million domestic total a sign that the steam has not yet left this theatrical run.
Because of this sustained success, Gladiator II has now entered its most impressive list yet, becoming one of the 50 highest-grossing Paramount Pictures movies of all time. Currently at #47 on the list, Scott's sequel is now ahead of major releases such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Top Gun, Deep Impact, and A Quiet Place. Next up in Gladiator II's search for glory is Captain America: The First Avenger, with just $2 million separating the pair. At the very top of the list in the unattainable zone for Gladiator II are the emperors of Paramount Pictures, namely four massive billion-dollar blockbusters in Transformers: Age of Extinction, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Top Gun: Maverick, and, sailing way out ahead on $2.2 billion, Titanic.
'Gladiator II' Lives in the Shadow of 'Gladiator'
When considering the mammoth success of the first movie and the second's choice to be so narratively similar, comparisons were always going to be drawn. Sadly, Gladiator II doesn't quite live up to the standards set by the first installment, with the Best Picture winner perhaps the greatest swords-and-sandals movie ever made. Nevertheless, Gladiator II still has plenty of promise worth praising, from epic, sweeping cinematography to Denzel Washington's scene-stealing performance as Macrinus. In Ross Bonaime's review of the movie for Collider, he said:
" The sheer size of Gladiator II is impressive by Scott, and it’s easy to take his talents for granted as the creator of these types of immense epics. From the opening battle in Numidia to a remarkable fight between ships within the Colosseum with the added danger of sharks, Scott can present jarring, unexpected surprises in his action sequences. However, with this attempt to make things bigger and better, some of these scenes are a bit egregious with their use of special effects . In Lucius’ first battle in the Colosseum, he and the other slaves must face off against a brutal pack of wild monkeys. While it’s meant to be a terrifying fight that seems almost inescapable, the artificiality of the sequence makes it impossible to overlook, which stops the scene from being as effective as it should be."
Gladiator II is now one of Paramount Pictures' fifty biggest box office hits of all time. You can catch the movie in theaters now.
Release Date November 22, 2024
Runtime 148 minutes
English (US) ·