Summary

  • Gladiator 2 trailer wows CinemaCon crowd, signaling success for Ridley Scott's long-awaited sequel.
  • Recent box office success for Scott's films points to Gladiator 2 surpassing expectations at the box office.
  • Follow-up to iconic Gladiator expected to bring Scott back to box office glory, potentially surpassing his highest-grossing film, The Martian.

Ridley Scott has not always been a box office darling despite the prestige of many of his films, but the upcoming Gladiator 2 should continue a recent trend of success for the iconic English filmmaker. Set in the years following the death of Maximus Decimus Meridius, the story of Gladiator 2 follows Lucius (Paul Mescal) as he embarks on a path of vengeance while navigating his own past political ties. The Gladiator 2 trailer was revealed at CinemaCon to thunderous applause, indicating that the hype surrounding the long-awaited sequel is approaching a fever pitch.

The original Gladiator not only cleaned up at the Academy Awards, it was also a box office success; the sword-and-sandal classic grossed over $500 million on a budget just a shade over $100 million. Since then, Ridley Scott's historical epics have underwhelmed at the box office, with movies like Kingdom of Heaven, Robin Hood and Exodus: Gods and Kings all failing to approach the heights of Gladiator. However, with more than 20 years of hope and expectations built up for Gladiator 2, it should help continue a positive box office trend for Ridley Scott.

Ridley Scott's Recent Movies Have Beaten His Last At The Box Office

Scott's box office returns have slowly increased

Ridley Scott's last three movies have all improved upon the gross box office return of their predecessors, yielding a trend of steady upwards growth since 2020. The Last Duel, which was embraced by critics but much less so by moviegoers, grossed just $31M on a budget of $100M. A year later, House of Gucci managed to gross over $166M on a budget of $75M, which was obviously a marked improvement. The 2023 epic Napoleon grossed over $220M, but given its sky-high budget between $150-$200M, it was considered a box office failure.

While Gladiator 2 may not have the real-world historical foundations of Scott's last three movies, it has an even more potent piece of history working for it: the original movie.

While all three movies featured tremendous performances from some of Hollywood's biggest-name actors, the box office gross seems to directly correlate to the moviegoing public's knowledge of the subject matter. The Last Duel featured a drama set in Medieval France, and chronicled a real-world incident between knights in that time period. House of Gucci had a more modern setting and very obvious character name recognition, hence it's greater success. Napoleon is perhaps the most famous historical figure of all, hence the highest box office total of the three period films.

Gladiator 2 should easily beat Napoleon's box office return given the built-in audience it has. For over 20 years, the original Gladiator has thrilled history, drama, and action buffs alike, and they will all come out to the theater to see the film's much-anticipated sequel. While Gladiator 2 may not have the real-world historical foundations of Scott's last three movies, it has an even more potent piece of history working for it: the original movie.

Ridley Scott's Highest-Grossing Movies

Movie

Gross Box Office Return

The Martian (2015)

$630 million

Gladiator (2000)

$503 million

Prometheus (2012)

$403 million

Hannibal (2001)

$353 million

Robin Hood (2010)

$322 million

Gladiator 2 Can Help Return Ridley Scott To Box Office Glory 9 Years After His Biggest Hit

Gladiator 2 has more box office potential than any of Scott's recent movies

Mark Watney (Matt Damon) wearing a space suit and looking at the camera in The Martian.

Ridley Scott's highest-grossing film ever was 2015's The Martian, starring Matt Damon and a star-studded supporting cast. A combination of star power and positive reviews made it a box office smash, and Ridley Scott has never come close to matching it. The Martian grossed $630M worldwide, but its reign as Ridley Scott's top-grossing movie could come to an end with Gladiator 2. In addition to continuing Scott's recent upward box office trajectory, the hype around Gladiator 2, along with a positive critical reception, could yield Scott's highest-grossing movie ever.