Gladiator II
has just crossed a new box office milestone, entering the list of the top-grossing R-rated movies ever. Directed by Ridley Scott, the sword-and-sandal epic serves as a sequel to 2000’s Gladiator, following Lucius (Paul Mescal) as he becomes a hero of the Colosseum. Gladiator 2 reviews have been generally positive from critics since the movie’s release last November, and the film, which also stars Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal, became available on VOD starting December 24 while remaining available in theaters.
According to new data from The Numbers, Gladiator 2 has now grossed a total of $454 million worldwide, comprising $171 million domestic and $282 million from overseas territories. This means the sequel is now among the top 30 highest-grossing R-rated movies of all time, currently occupying 29th place behind 300 (2007) and in front of Gladiator. It’s worth mentioning, however, that while The Numbers pegs Gladiator‘s worldwide total at $451 million, other sources put the total at around $460 million, meaning Scott’s sequel might actually be in 30th place, behind it.
ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine (2024) is the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever with a worldwide box office total of $1.338 billion.
What Gladiator 2’s New Box Office Milestone Means For The Movie
Why The Ridley Scott Film Isn’t Actually A Success
Even though it is now among the top 30 highest-grossing R-rated movies ever, Gladiator 2‘s box office haul still might not make it a success. Scott has confirmed that the movie ended up coming in $10 million under budget, but, even so, the film carries a reported budget of around $250M or just under. This would make its break-even point likely around $500 million, but this figure could be as high as $625 million.
After months’ worth of VOD sales and a streaming licensing deal, Gladiator 2 may end up turning a profit in the end, but it likely won’t be much. It’s also entirely possible it’ll lose money. Either way, Scott’s enthusiasm to make Gladiator 3 seems unlikely to be enough to actually get another film off the ground, especially since such a production would probably require a similarly large price tag. This marks the second film of Scott’s in a row that didn’t totally perform at the box office, with Napoleon having been a major flop in 2023.
Made on a $250 million budget, Napoleon grossed only $221 million.
Our Take On Gladiator 2’s Box Office
Scott’s Sequel Has Aspects Worth Praising
Love for the original Gladiator remains strong, but evidently not strong enough to get audiences to theaters to watch the sequel. Plus, despite the impressive Gladiator 2 cast, the follow-up just isn’t as good as the original, with Lucius’ story ultimately not as compelling as Maximus’.
Still, there are many aspects of Gladiator 2 worth praising, including Washington’s performance and the thrilling battle sequences. Scott remains a filmmaker who is incredibly gifted at bringing complex visual sequences to life. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like he’ll be bringing his talents to the Colosseum again, with Gladiator 2 not performing quite as well as it needed to to justify a return to this franchise.
Source: The Numbers
