Why Gladiator II Blew Everyone Away At The Box Office

After 24 years of waiting, "Gladiator" fans finally returned to director Ridley Scott's blood-soaked world in "Gladiator II." Clearly, this long-bubbling anticipation paid off over the feature's domestic opening weekend. "Gladiator II" launched with a $54 million domestic bow, one of 2024's best domestic opening weekends, not to mention one of the most lucrative North American debuts in Scott's iconic career. The sequel's box office even helped the overall theatrical marketplace rather than just the Paramount Pictures financiers; it and fellow newcomer "Wicked" combined to help fuel record pre-Thanksgiving business for theater chains like AMC. In short, the news was all good for this sequel, which was following up a beloved motion picture that's wormed its way into every inch of pop culture.

Various lines, performances, and, of course, "Gladiator's" most iconic shot all combined to ensure Ridley Scott's 2000 directorial effort had a massive enough fanbase to support a sequel over two decades later. However, it wasn't just residual love that informed the follow-up's domestic box office success. Qualities deeply specific to "Gladiator II" that helped build this blockbuster's robust numbers include new cast members like Denzel Washington, a very wise marketing campaign emphasizing fresh elements to viewers, November 2024's lack of R-rated competition, the dearth of other "Gladiator" sequels, and more.

Now that "Gladiator II" is poised to become one of 2024's most impressive box office performers, it's time to explore the endless ways this tentpole became a financial champion that made its predecessor proud.

If any member of "Gladiator II's" cast assured this movie would make a pretty penny at the box office, it had to be Denzel Washington as schemer Macrinus. For one thing, the actor is so selective with his roles that moviegoers pay attention whenever he anchors a new motion picture (unless it's "Roman J. Israel, Esq."). He's also one of the few remaining American mainstream movie stars, as evidenced by his extraordinary box office track record. Out of his last 13 movies that received normal theatrical releases, 11 grossed $57.68 million domestically or more, while eight of those 13 cleared $80 million in North America. Meanwhile, his pre-2009 box office exploits include box office hits like "American Gangster," "Remember the Titans," "The Pelican Brief," and "Philadelphia." Heck, even certain Denzel Washington flops are often still worth watching.

For general moviegoers, Washington is connected to highly acclaimed Oscar darlings and crowdpleaser dramas. Plus, unlike most esteemed dramatic actors, Washington hasn't really headlined a massive tentpole sequel before "Gladiator II." With no previous Marvel, DC, or Hasbro blockbuster under his belt, there's something special about the prospect of seeing Washington anchor a feature full of grand spectacle on IMAX screens. Considering he led 2016's "Magnificent Seven" remake to a terrific $34.7 million opening weekend, it's no surprise that the star helped the "Gladiator" sequel reach its full box office potential. That feat just naturally happens when you're one of the biggest movie stars on the planet!

By the time November 22, the date "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" both opened in North America, was just a few days away, the actors involved in these projects were already sick of the portmanteau "Glicked." A term smashing together these two titles was meant to herald the arrival of a new Barbenheimer, but people connected to the blockbusters as well as media observers found the term ridiculous. Sure, Glicked was just as much a social media cash grab as last year's Saw Patrol gimmick. However, pairing up these two tonally opposed features did get some extra hype going for their respective releases. The week these projects dropped, a Fandango poll revealed that nearly 2/3 of those surveyed were extremely intrigued by the idea of watching "Gladiator II" and "Wicked" back-to-back.

More importantly, theatrical moviegoing is something that cannot survive on one film alone. People enjoying the theatrical experience tend to want to go back and experience it again. The tremendous hype surrounding "Wicked" put all eyes on people's local multiplexes and undoubtedly placed "Gladiator II" on many radars. After all, a rising tide lifts all boats, especially when that tide is confined to a nearby Cinemark. Plus, "Gladiator II" leading man Paul Mescal himself was hyping up the simultaneous releases as a boon for exhibitors and each film for months. Inevitably, Glicked couldn't produce combined box office results as rich as the glory days of Barbenheimer. However, intertwining "Gladiator II" with "Wicked" certainly didn't hurt the Ridley Scott feature's box office chances!

"Gladiator II" wasn't a legacy sequel to just any old movie; it was following up a Best Picture Oscar winner! "Gladiator" was one of the leggiest and highest-grossing movies of 2000, goodwill that led to it dominating at the Academy Awards and enduring for years to come. The amount of pop culture properties that have referenced lines like "Are you not entertained?" is virtually endless. Then there were the serious movies made in the mold of "Gladiator's" spectacle. The early 2000s were flooded with various historical epics like "Alexander" and "Troy," all of which tried to make the "Gladiator" lightning strike twice. Crowe's subsequent roles, like anchoring "Robin Hood" or "The Man With The Iron Fists," even functioned as varying responses to portraying Maximus at the dawn of the 21st century.

Thanks to all that, "Gladiator's" esteemed place in pop culture was assured, and no other 21st-century historical epic has come close to usurping its pop culture notoriety. That fact did create a mighty high reputation for "Gladiator II" to live up to, granted. Expectations were incredibly high for this project; a phoned-in extension of this universe wouldn't suffice for audiences. However, even with the potential backlash looming, promising folks a return to a world this beloved proved too enticing to resist. Legacy sequels like "Gladiator II" are a dime a dozen. However, it's rare to get a super costly and grandly marketed follow-up to a movie as universally beloved as the original "Gladiator."

From "Twilight" in 2008 to "Frozen II" in 2019, eleven consecutive movies opened to $60+ million domestically over the pre-Thanksgiving weekend slot. From four of the five "Twilight" installments, to "Justice League," to the first two "Fantastic Beasts" entries, the pre-Thanksgiving slot has been prime real estate to launch a new tentpole hit. Even before 2008, the earliest "Harry Potter" installments and "Die Another Day" delivered mighty debuts over this timeframe. Heck, this is the very weekend where "Home Alone" began its historically leggy domestic box office run all the way back in 1990. Dropping a film here not only helps create a lofty three-day bow, it positions a blockbuster to play over the ensuing Thanksgiving week. Studios get two bites at one apple. Plus, debuting here ensures a potential new blockbuster avoids competing with whatever new animated movie juggernaut is dropping over Thanksgiving weekend.

"Gladiator II," like fellow newcomer "Wicked," continued this phenomenon with finesse. True, "Gladiator II" narrowly missed out on being another $60+ million pre-Thanksgiving opener. However, its $57 million bow was still great, especially since it's an R-rated film full of beheadings and bloody dismemberments. Typically, pre-Thanksgiving weekend hits are fantasy-oriented movies aimed heavily at teenagers. That's why "Frozen II" and the "Hunger Games" sequels had no problem debuting in this timeframe. "Gladiator II" reaffirmed, though, that the pre-Thanksgiving weekend magic can work on any film ... provided it's something people really want to see, of course!

By the time Paramount Pictures' previous November blockbuster, "Terminator: Dark Fate," arrived in theaters, the "Terminator" saga had been exploited well beyond its capacity. Over the 16 years before "Dark Fate's" debut, there had been three other 21st-century "Terminator" sequels and a multi-season Fox TV show titled "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." It's no wonder, then, that even the return of Linda Hamilton failed to get fans all juiced up for more. At that point, there was nothing special in seeing the "Terminator" brand name on a brand-new piece of art. Hollywood tends to do that with lucrative franchises, milking them until they're no longer valuable. "Gladiator II," however, didn't arrive with such a problem.

Though a sequel to "Gladiator" has been discussed since shortly after the first movie's release, there was never a direct continuation of its world until 2024's "Gladiator II." There've been no TV shows, spin-offs, or other cash grabs to dilute people's connection to the original. Ridley Scott made other post-2000 projects that are clearly evocative of "Gladiator," including his and Russell Crowe's reunion on 2010's "Robin Hood." However, there were no straightforward "Gladiator" extensions until this sequel. That has ensured "Gladiator II' feels special, not just the umpteenth continuation of an old classic. While something like "Dark Fate" had to contend with seemingly endless prior subpar "Terminator" extensions, "Gladiator II" simply built on people loving that first, unexploited "Gladiator."

It's been a quiet year for Paramount Pictures, a problem undoubtedly compounded by 2023's pair of talent strikes and corporate uncertainty hanging over an impending Skydance merger. Save for the family movie "Transformers One" in September 2024, Paramount hasn't launched a major new wide release since "A Quiet Place: Day One" at the end of June 2024. That five-month gap in significant new live-action titles left movie theaters a little emptier than they should've been, but it did ensure Paramount put all its marketing resources behind "Gladiator II." There was no other live-action title between June and November to occupy Paramount's resources, so everything was focused solely on reminding people they loved "Gladiator" and why they should give this sequel a shot.

Reports of how much it cost to promote "Gladiator II" run as high as $100 million, a staggering sum for an R-rated epic with zero family appeal. Paramount's certainly wrung everything possible out of every penny, though, with no other major blockbusters to promote. Opening the same day as "Wicked" and its infamously lengthy and inescapable marketing campaign certainly made it extra essential that Paramount put all possible resources into launching "Gladiator II." In the end, concentrating for months solely on this feature paid off. "Gladiator II" had the second-biggest domestic launch (only behind "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts") for a Paramount Pictures movie since "Top Gun: Maverick" in May 2022.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, "Terminator: Genisys" and "Dark Fate" both exemplified the wrong way to market legacy sequels. These follow-ups hinged their marketing campaigns on promising more Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800, which, in theory, would make them bulletproof nostalgia-fests. In execution, it made each follow-up difficult to decipher from one another. They bled together in a mish-mash of Schwarzenegger repeating his famous lines directly to the camera. "Gladiator II" might've fallen into that trap if it had featured Russell Crowe somehow coming back from the dead for more vengeance. Instead, the plot shifts to a grown-up version of Hanno and a slew of new characters occupying familiar Roman territories. Only Connie Nielsen and Derek Jakobi return from the first "Gladiator" in a prominent capacity.

Constantly emphasizing that "Gladiator II" is about new characters played by Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal reassured prospective moviegoers that this wasn't a fresh coat of paint on the same movie they've rewatched endlessly on home video. Hammering home the fact that these beloved actors are new additions to a world people love was a critical way the trailers and posters sold audiences on the idea that "Gladiator II" will blow you away. In the end, this technique proved to be mighty lucrative at the box office. Audiences were promised — and given — a delicate balance between the old and the new. Being unafraid to introduce fresh characters helped ensure that "Gladiator II" wouldn't succumb to the underwhelming box office recent "Terminator" adventures experienced.

The biggest Ridley Scott movies of all time reflect one truth: if audiences learn Scott is doing a big epic production full of visual effects, they tend to show up for it. Flops like "The Last Duel" and "Exodus: Gods and Kings" undoubtedly exist in this space, but, more often than not, Scott's great reputation among moviegoers for delivering the goods in terms of spectacle wins out. His presence on "Gladiator II" was especially reassuring given how closely he's connected to its 2000 directorial effort. This follow-up was not some new artist trying to do a Ridley Scott impression; this was the original maestro coming back to the Colosseum for more grisly Roman carnage. That prospect, combined with Scott's track record, did a lot to inform "Gladiator II"'s" robust opening weekend.

Ridley Scott's enduring box office allure could even be seen just 12 months before "Gladiator II" opened. In late November 2023, "Napoleon" vanquished that year's Thanksgiving's box office. It even had a bigger three-day opening weekend than Disney Animation's "Wish," a staggering result given how the Mouse House typically dominates this holiday weekend without question. People heard Ridley Scott was doing a grand Napoleon movie, and they showed up for it in heavy numbers. If a non-sequel like "Napoleon" could put up strong figures, then "Gladiator II" was a virtual cinch to crush the box office in late November a year later. That's the power of a legend of Ridley Scott's caliber.

Reviews for "Gladiator II" have given the sequel a generally positive though somewhat mixed response. Hatred is rare for this sequel, but many critics have found it a bit too derivative of its predecessor for its own good while also having grievances about Paul Mescal's lead performance. In a shrewd move, though, Paramount Pictures kicked off screening "Gladiator II" a month before release, albeit on a very selective basis. Initial reactions were scarce, but the handful of social media reviews were extremely positive. Oscar buzz for Denzel Washington started brewing almost the second these reactions hit the web, while hopes rose that Ridley Scott had created something living up to the beloved first "Gladiator.". More nuanced reactions followed by the time "Gladiator II's" release week approached.

However, four weeks before its proper theatrical debut, "Gladiator II" was greeted with largely positive marks, giving the sequel ample time to generate a positive reputation with moviegoers. Furthermore, "Gladiator II" opened in most international territories a week before its North American launch, where it scored terrific box office numbers. That attached "Gladiator II" to even more positive news headlines before it started both playing in general release in a single U.S. multiplex, where it was garnering more critical marks. It wasn't enough to create excitement surrounding "Gladiator II's" trailers and posters — Paramount Pictures made sure the film itself was out there getting acclaim before it touched down in North America.

The weekend "Gladiator II" debuted in the marketplace, only two other movies ("Wicked" and "Red One") cracked $6+ million each. That fact points to a dearth of compelling new releases in the marketplace capable of convincing people to head to the theater, including other action-oriented R-rated epics. The highest-grossing R-rated movies of all time prove that motion pictures with restrictive MPAA ratings can still bring in a hefty chunk of change at the box office, yet Hollywood simply didn't provide such titles in the first three weeks of November 2024. A vacant marketplace (largely informed in its emptiness by concerns stemming from being overshadowed by the United States' 2024 presidential election) left those seeking adrenaline-pumping grisly fare out of luck.

This is when "Gladiator II" swooped in to become the savior these moviegoers had been yearning for. While Ridley Scott's latest movie likely would've registered as a big cinematic experience under any circumstances, in a theatrical landscape devoid of other R-rated action-heavy titles, it had no other competition to contend with. If you wanted a movie featuring heads getting chopped off, "Gladiator II" was your only option. Over the next few weeks, barely any other movies will challenge its supremacy. The refusal of major studios to give movie theaters a steady line-up of new theatrical releases is a massive continuing problem for the industry, but this habit did, at least, ensure that "Gladiator II" could live up to its fullest domestic box office potential.

In 2010 and 2011, if you wanted your movie to be taken seriously as a big box office deal in a post-"Avatar" world, you embraced digital 3D. The equivalent to that phenomenon in 2024 is premium large-format screens. Major tentpoles are practically required to be released in IMAX, Dolby Digitial, Cinemark XD, or other, similar auditoriums if they want to be perceived as a potential financial juggernaut. Unsurprisingly, "Gladiator II" was shown off in such formats in its domestic launch, though this came with a wrinkle, as "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" had to share IMAX screens over this weekend. Given that it was penciled in for a November 22, 2024 release first, it appears "Gladiator II" got preferential treatment for IMAX screens, including allegedly securing the biggest IMAX screen in New York City.

Whatever behind-the-scenes battles went down for premium screen real estate, "Gladiator II" clearly flourished in the formats. IMAX ticket sales alone made up 17% of its domestic opening weekend, accounting for roughly $9 million of its North American launch. Other large screen formats contributed another 11% to its domestic gross, or roughly $6 million. That means a little over a fourth of "Gladiator II's" domestic bow was due to these pricier enhanced experiences. Putting a grand spectacle like "Gladiator II" (which was following up a visually groundbreaking 2000 feature) on these large format screens clearly inspired people to come out in droves to their local theaters. IMAX's modern box office importance continues unabated.