While a handful of bigger hits might have overshadowed its success, there’s no denying that Gladiator II is a blockbuster. The movie debuted alongside Wicked in one of 2024’s biggest box office clashes, and has since toppled numerous records. This weekend, its 10th, Gladiator II hit what will likely be its final global box office milestone. The movie has been available on digital streaming platforms for weeks, and as things stand, will conclude its run just shy of the original Gladiator’s lifetime haul. Both movies were directed by Ridley Scott, and rank among his biggest hits.
With $172 million domestically and $288 million from overseas markets, Gladiator II’s cumulative global haul stands at $460 million. By comparison, the original Gladiator’s global haul stands at $465 million, but this includes re-release revenue as well. Combined, both films have grossed over $900 million worldwide, and rank as the second and third-biggest hits of Scott’s acclaimed career. His biggest hit remains The Martian, which made around $650 million globally in 2015. Gladiator II’s success cemented Scott as one of the 10 highest-grossing filmmakers of all time.
But a shadow was most definitely cast over the film’s performance by its hefty reported production costs. While it’s said to have cost over $200 million to produce, a THR report suggested that the budget had ballooned to over $300 million because of the industry-wide strikes of 2023. Scott disputed this figure in an interview with The New York Times, and claimed to have brought in the movie under-budget. Either way, a film of this size needs to gross twice its production cost to break even, and going by the $200 million figure, Gladiator II should be in the clear.
‘Gladiator II’ Earned a Single Oscar Nomination, for Best Costume Design

By comparison, the original film cost just over $100 million to produce a quarter-century ago. That movie emerged as an awards season darling, going on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It also earned star Russell Crowe a Best Actor honor. Crowe didn’t return for the sequel, which was headlined by Paul Mescal, who received mixed reviews for his performance. The movie itself stands at a “fresh” 71% approval rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with praise in particular being directed at its action set-pieces, and Denzel Washington’s colorful supporting performance. You can watch the film at home, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Gladiator II

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Runtime

148 minutes

Writers

David Scarpa, Peter Craig, David Franzoni

Stream on Paramount+