Gladiator II

Gladiator II
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRidley Scott
Screenplay byDavid Scarpa
Story by
Based onCharacters
by David Franzoni
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJohn Mathieson
Edited by
Music byHarry Gregson-Williams
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • October 30, 2024 (2024-10-30) (Sydney)
  • November 15, 2024 (2024-11-15) (United Kingdom)
  • November 22, 2024 (2024-11-22) (United States)
Running time
148 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$210–310 million[2][3]
Box office$232.4 million[4][5]

Gladiator II (stylized onscreen as GladIIator) is a 2024 epic historical action film directed and produced by Ridley Scott that serves as a sequel to Gladiator (2000). Written by David Scarpa based on a story he wrote with Peter Craig, the film was produced by Scott Free Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington.[6] Jacobi and Nielsen reprise their roles from the first film, with Mescal replacing Spencer Treat Clark. Mescal portrays Lucius, whose home is invaded by the Roman army led by General Acacius. He seeks revenge against Acacius and fights as a gladiator for Macrinus, a former slave who plans to overthrow the emperors Geta and Caracalla.

A sequel to Gladiator was discussed as early as June 2001, with David Franzoni and John Logan set to return as screenwriters. Over the next few years, Scott offered occasional updates, including the possible involvement of the original film's lead actor, Russell Crowe, along with plot ideas about the Roman afterlife and different historical time periods. Development was halted when DreamWorks sold the rights to the property to Paramount in 2006. The film was finally announced in 2018, and Mescal was cast in the lead role in January 2023, with a script by Scarpa. The rest of the cast signed on over the next several months. Filming took place between June 2023 and January 2024, with a five-month hiatus due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes.

Gladiator II premiered in Sydney, Australia, on October 30, 2024. It was released in the United Kingdom on November 15 and in the United States on November 22. It received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $226 million.

Plot

Sixteen years after the death of Marcus Aurelius,[a] Rome is ruled by the corrupt twin emperors Geta and Caracalla. Aurelius's grandson, Lucius Verus, lives under the alias "Hanno" with his wife Arishat in the North African kingdom of Numidia. The Roman army led by General Acacius invades and conquers the kingdom, killing Arishat and enslaving Lucius. To advertise the slaves as potential gladiators, the Romans pit them against feral baboons. Lucius savagely kills a baboon, impressing the stable master Macrinus, who promises Lucius an opportunity to kill Acacius if he wins enough fights in Rome.

Acacius returns to Rome as a war hero. Geta and Caracalla arrange gladiatorial games in the Colosseum to celebrate Acacius's victory. Disillusioned with war, Acacius requests a vacation with his wife Lucilla, the daughter of Aurelius and Lucius's mother, but the emperors refuse and plot to conquer Persia and India. Senator Thraex throws a party for the emperors and arranges a gladiatorial duel as entertainment. After Lucius wins, Geta asks where he is from. Lucius contemptuously recites a verse from Virgil's Aeneid, revealing his Roman education. Ravi, the gladiators' physician, treats Lucius's injuries and befriends him.

Lucius emulates the late legendary gladiator Maximus in the Colosseum to win fights. Lucilla recognizes Lucius as her son, whom she sent away from Rome as a child for protection. During a naval battle in the Colosseum, Lucius leads the gladiators to victory and fires a crossbow at the spectating Acacius but fails to kill him. After the battle, Lucilla tries to reconnect with her son, but Lucius angrily rebuffs her. He resents being forced to flee Rome while his mother lived in luxury and is upset that her new husband caused Arishat's death.

Lucius learns that Ravi was a former slave who won his freedom in the Colosseum. Ravi shows Lucius the gladiators' shrine to Maximus, which preserves Maximus's sword and armor. Lucilla and Acacius conspire with senators Thraex and Gracchus to overthrow the emperors and restore the Roman Republic. Acacius also agrees to rescue Lucius from slavery. However, Thraex, who owes Macrinus money, informs him of the coup attempt. Macrinus advises the emperors to arrest Lucilla and Acacius for treason in order to gain imperial favor.

Macrinus arranges for Lucius to fight Acacius in the Colosseum. Lucius defeats Acacius but refuses to execute him. The Praetorian Guard execute Acacius at the emperors' command, prompting the people to riot. When Macrinus questions Lucius's refusal to kill Acacius, Lucius argues that Rome can be a better place, but Macrinus disagrees. Macrinus visits Lucilla in her cell and reveals that he was once a slave during the rule of Aurelius, vowing to avenge himself upon Rome by becoming emperor and ending the imperial dynasty.

Macrinus manipulates Caracalla into killing Geta. After Caracalla bizarrely names his pet monkey as a consul, Macrinus persuades the Senate to overthrow him. He also convinces Caracalla to use Lucilla as bait in the Colosseum, with only Lucius defending her against a horde of attackers, hoping for their deaths to trigger another riot that the Senate will defuse by executing Caracalla.

Lucius and Lucilla reconcile to defeat Macrinus, and Lucilla gifts Lucius her father's ring, which had been passed down to Maximus and Acacius. Lucius sends Ravi with the ring to meet Acacius's legions outside Rome, requesting military aid. Lucilla is brought into the Colosseum with the senators with whom she conspired. Armed with Maximus's sword and armor, Lucius frees the gladiators and rallies them to revolt against their enslavers and defend Lucilla from execution. Gracchus is killed in the onslaught, while Macrinus kills Caracalla before fatally shooting Lucilla with an arrow. Macrinus flees the rioting city with Lucius in pursuit.

Acacius's and Macrinus's armies meet outside Rome. To avert a battle, Macrinus and Lucius duel. Although Macrinus nearly kills Lucius in a river, Lucius is inspired by his mother's voice and kills Macrinus. He reveals his true identity as the imperial heir and speaks to both armies, convincing them to build a united and progressive Rome with him. Later, Lucius mourns his parents in the Colosseum.

Cast

  • Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus Aurelius / "Hanno": The grandson of the former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Maximus Decimus Meridius, the protagonist of the first film.[7] Following his father's death, Lucius was sent away from Rome as a child by his mother, Lucilla, to protect him from assassins. They have not met in around 15 years.[8] Lucius lives with his wife in Numidia but is taken prisoner by the Roman army after they invade his home and kill his wife. He is sold into slavery to become a gladiator in the Colosseum. He seeks revenge against the Romans and their general, Acacius.
  • Pedro Pascal as General Acacius: A general of the Roman army who trained under Maximus, and Lucilla's husband. Although he lives a luxurious lifestyle in Rome, he spends most of his time away on military campaigns for the emperors. He leads an army to take over Numidia and invades Lucius's home, but is disillusioned by war and does not want to send more men to die for the emperors.[9] Acacius conspires with Lucilla to overthrow the emperors but is arrested and reduced to fighting as a gladiator in the Colosseum. According to Pascal, he is "a very, very good general, which can mean a very good killer", serving as a symbol to Lucius of everything he hates.[10]
  • Connie Nielsen as Lucilla: Lucius's mother, Maximus's former lover, and Aurelius's daughter. She sent Lucius away from Rome after Maximus's death to protect him from rivals for the imperial throne. Following Maximus's death, she marries Acacius. She watches Lucius fight in the Colosseum but initially does not recognize him as her son.[10] Due to her popularity among the people of Rome, she is feared and exploited by those in power, such as the emperors.[11] Nielsen reprises her role from the original film.[10]
  • Denzel Washington as Macrinus[12][13]: A former slave who plans to control Rome.[9] He keeps a stable of gladiators and mentors Lucius. He also works as an arms dealer, providing weapons, food, and oil to the Roman armies in Europe. Director Ridley Scott described him as "pretty fucking cruel" to the arena fighters,[10] with Washington adding that he "wants to be Emperor and he's willing to do anything to get there".[14] Scott also noted that Macrinus has a "twinkle" of bisexuality, describing him as a gangster who started as a prisoner of war, became a gladiator, and earned his freedom.[15] Although Macrinus states his bisexuality in the film, a scene involving Macrinus kissing another man was deleted from the film.[16] The choice of Denzel Washington sparked criticism in Algeria where many people denounced a "blackwashing" of the historical Berber character, arguing that "Macrinus was not of sub-Saharan African origin. This historical revisionism erases North African identities to impose a simplistic and incorrect vision of history".[17][18]
  • Joseph Quinn as Emperor Geta: The co-emperor of Rome alongside his brother, Caracalla. Scott described the pair as "damaged goods from birth" who are "almost a replay of Romulus and Remus",[10] with two other inspirations being Beavis and Butt-Head from the MTV adult cartoon of the same name.[19] Careful not to copy Joaquin Phoenix's performance as Commodus from the original film, Quinn took inspiration from Philip Seymour Hoffman's Owen Davian from Mission: Impossible III (2006) and Gary Oldman's Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg from The Fifth Element (1997) for playing his character.[20] One inspiration for Geta's look was John Lydon.[19]
  • Fred Hechinger as Emperor Caracalla: The co-emperor of Rome alongside his brother, Geta. He has a pet monkey and is less stable than his brother due to cognitive erosion in his brain.[21] Hechinger discussed with Scott about finding inspirations to build Caracalla's look from Sid Vicious,[22] with Caracalla's pet monkey serving as another inspiration for the character's "crazed behavior".[21]
  • Lior Raz as Viggo: The trainer of gladiators for Macrinus. A former gladiator, Viggo is a "tough guy" who escorts the gladiators to their fights.[23]
  • Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus: A member of the Roman Senate who opposes the growing corruption of the Imperial Court. Jacobi reprises his role from the original film.[11]
  • Peter Mensah as Jugurtha: A black Numidian chieftain who mentored Lucius after the latter was exiled from Rome, with whom he is later enslaved and forced to become a gladiator.[24]
  • Matt Lucas as the master of ceremonies: The Colosseum's public address announcer.
  • Alexander Karim as Ravi: A former gladiator from India who earned his freedom and then chose to serve as a doctor to wounded combatants.[24]
  • Tim McInnerny as Senator Thraex: A gambling-addicted, corrupt member of the Roman Senate who owes Macrinus a tremendous amount of money.
  • Rory McCann as Tegula: The leader of the Praetorian Guard.
  • Yuval Gonen as Arishat: Lucius's wife, a skilled archer who is killed during the Roman invasion of their home.[24]
  • Alec Utgoff as Darius: Acacius's second-in-command, whom Acacius recruits to mount a coup against the corrupt emperors.
  • Yann Gael as Bostar.

Egyptian-Palestinian actress May Calamawy,[25] who was originally set to play an "important character",[26] appears in the film in an uncredited non-speaking background role as Macrinus's companion.[27][28] Some publications linked her omission to the ongoing war in Gaza and her support for Palestine in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[b]

Production

Development

In June 2001, developments for a Gladiator (2000) follow-up began for either a prequel or sequel, with David Franzoni in early negotiations to once again serve as screenwriter.[38] Ridley Scott's logic to make a sequel was that, even though Maximus Decimus Meridius died at the end of the original film, what happened to Lucius Verus was left ambiguous, considering the questions about his whereabouts perfect for a second film.[15] The following year, a sequel was announced to be moving forward with John Logan serving as screenwriter. The plot, set 15 years later, included the Praetorian Guards ruling Rome, and an older Lucius—the son of Lucilla in Gladiator—searching for the truth about his biological father. Franzoni signed on as producer, alongside Douglas Wick and Walter Parkes.[39] In December 2002, the film's plot was announced to include prequel events regarding the parentage of Lucius, as well as sequel events depicting the resurrection of Maximus, the main character of the original film. The producers and Russell Crowe, who portrayed Maximus, collaboratively and extensively researched ancient Roman beliefs regarding the afterlife.[40] Although Crowe and Scott had discussed how to bring the former back by having his character resurrect, Scott concluded that Crowe would have to return either as Maximus' double or play another character.[15] By September 2003, Scott announced that the script was completed, while confirming that the story would primarily center on Lucius.[41]

Ridley Scott returned to direct Gladiator II two decades after the original.

In May 2006, Scott stated that DreamWorks Pictures had wanted to make the sequel, but there were differing ideas for the story. Crowe had favoured a fantasy element in bringing Maximus back to life, while the studio were basing the film on Lucius as the son of Maximus and Lucilla. Scott also discussed the necessity of a more complex script with the corruption of Rome in the potential sequel.[42] During this time, Nick Cave was commissioned to write a new draft of the script. It was later revealed to be written under the working title of "Christ Killer". Cave described the plot as a "deities vs. deity vs. humanity" story. The story involved Maximus in purgatory, who is resurrected as an immortal warrior for the Roman gods. Maximus is sent back to Earth and tasked with ending Christianity by killing Jesus and his disciples, as Christianity was draining the power of the ancient Pagan gods. During his mission, Maximus is tricked into murdering his own son. Cursed to live forever, Maximus fights in the Crusades, World War II, and the Vietnam War; with the ending revealing that in the present-day, the character now works at the Pentagon. The script was rejected and scrapped after Steven Spielberg, who had consulted on the original film, told Scott it wasn't going to work, especially as Cave had written something "too grand" due to his theatre work.[43][44][45][15]

After experiencing financial difficulties in the 2000s, DreamWorks Pictures—including the rights to Gladiator and the rest of the pre-2006 live-action film library—was sold to Paramount Pictures in 2006 and development on the sequel was halted.[46] Over the years, other attempts on a sequel script were made, but Scott felt that many writers "were afraid to take it on".[21] He also said that he and everyone involved in the original film were busy so no one thought about making a sequel, but as time passed, he noticed how well Gladiator aged to the point of seemingly having "taken a life of its own" that it made him feel that he owed the audience a continuation to that story.[21] Scott became determined to not let go the project, deciding to do it for both creative and financial reasons if a good idea came up.[15] In March 2017, Scott revealed that the difficulties of reintroducing Maximus had been resolved. The filmmaker expressed enthusiasm for the future of the project, while discussions with Crowe to reprise his role were ongoing.[47]

Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins worked with Ridley Scott on Gladiator II.[48]

In November 2018, it was announced that Paramount was greenlighting the development of a sequel. Scott was in early negotiations to once again serve as director, with a script written by Peter Craig. Scott would also serve as producer alongside Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, Walter Parkes, and Laurie MacDonald, with the project being a joint-venture production between Paramount, Scott Free Productions, Red Wagon Entertainment, and Parkes+MacDonald Image Nation.[49] In June 2019, the producers revealed that the script took place 25 to 30 years after the first film.[50] The plot was reported to center around Lucius.[51] In April 2021, Chris Hemsworth approached Crowe with a proposal to become involved with the project, with the intention to co-produce the film. While working together on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), the two actors shared additional ideas for the film.[52]

By September 2021, Scott stated that the script was once again being worked on with his intention being to direct the sequel upon the completion of production on Napoleon (2023).[53] In November, it was revealed that David Scarpa, who worked with Scott on Napoleon, was rewriting the script.[54] Scott stated in a 2023 interview that they had struggled for 10 months to write the script four years previously, until they revisited the idea of Lucius as the "survivor" of the original film.[55] According to Scott, the premise for the sequel began with the emperors Caracalla and Geta. He said, "After Commodus's death, there was a scramble for the chair, and out of that eventually came a man who became the father of the two princes...One of them was just this side of being dysfunctional, a lunatic. The other one tried to control his brother. So that state of constant disagreement and fluctuating personalities was where we began."[56]

Originally greenlit with a production budget of $165 million, the cost of the film increased to a reported $310 million by the time filming wrapped (though Paramount insisted the net cost did not exceed $250 million).[57] Additionally, Ridley Scott's desire to have a rhino battle in the original film, which went unrealized due to cost, was included in the sequel.[58][59][60][61] Closer to its release, Deadline Hollywood reported the film's net budget to be $210 million.[2] The production received nearly €47 million in film incentive rebates from Malta, setting a record for the largest rebate issued for a film production in the European Union.[62]

Pre-production

Irish actor Paul Mescal at the screening of The Lost Daughter at the 44th Mill Valley Film Festival on 16th October 2021.
Pedro Pascal speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California.
Denzel Washington in 2018
Connie Nielsen speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California.
Sir Derek Jacobi - BFI Southbank - Sunday 13th November 2022
Joseph Quinn on the red carpet at the Big Screen Achievement Awards at the 2024 CinemaCon at The Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Fred Hechinger at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024
(Clockwise from top left) Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Fred Hechinger, Joseph Quinn, Derek Jacobi and Denzel Washington

In January 2023, Paul Mescal was cast in the film as the adult Lucius (originally portrayed by Spencer Treat Clark), while it was also reported that Arthur Max and Janty Yates, the production designer and costume designer of the original film, respectively, would also be returning to work on the sequel.[63] Scott was unaware of Mescal's fame until he watched his performance in the BBC Three/Hulu miniseries Normal People, which he came across in his need for a "bedtime story". Shortly after, the story for Gladiator II was completed, and Scott ultimately cast Mescal in the lead role after a brief Zoom call.[55][10][21] Austin Butler, Richard Madden and Miles Teller had also been considered for the lead role.[64] Mescal was chosen after Daria Cercek and Michael Ireland had seen his performance in the West End revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, claiming that the "ladies in the audience [had been] very vocal" when he had taken his shirt off.[65] Having seen the original film when he was 13 with his father, Mescal was invited for breakfast by Lucy Fisher and Douglas Wick, who informed him about the sequel's casting, proceeding to tell Scott about his physical capabilities due to playing Gaelic football in his youth while Scott found a striking resemblance to Richard Harris, who played Marcus Aurelius in the original film, so he opted to cast Mescal despite his newcomer status under the pretext he launched careers likewise for Sigourney Weaver and Brad Pitt when he cast them in his films Alien (1979) and Thelma & Louise (1991) respectively. To prepare for the role, Mescal didn't get in touch with Crowe to avoid audiences thinking the film will define his career, trained physically, ate sweet potato and ground beef to put on 18 pounds of muscle and remembered Roman history he studied at school,[66] in addition to practice fighting choreography, horse training and sword fighting.[21]

In March 2023, Barry Keoghan entered negotiations to join the cast in the role of Emperor Caracalla while Denzel Washington joined the cast.[67][68] Regarding Scott and his brother Tony as "great filmmakers" who never miss, Washington accepted the role out of interest to work with the inspirational Scott brother again after their previous collaboration in American Gangster (2007).[14] Additionally, John Mathieson was set to return as cinematographer for the film.[69] Scott didn't conceive Macrinus with Washington in mind, but felt inspired to cast him after seeing Jean-Léon Gérôme's painting Moorish Bath, which depicted a black bearded man with a jeweled Dizzy Gillespie-like hat in orange and blue silk, inspiring the character's appearance, plus Washington's status as a method actor.[15] In April 2023, it was announced that Connie Nielsen and Djimon Hounsou would reprise their roles as Lucilla and Juba respectively, while Joseph Quinn was added to the cast as Emperor Geta.[70][71] In May 2023, Pedro Pascal, May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Peter Mensah and Matt Lucas joined the cast of the film, with Fred Hechinger entering negotiations to play Caracalla after Keoghan had to drop out over scheduling conflicts with Saltburn (2023). Jacobi reprises his role as Senator Gracchus from the first film.[72][26][15] Similarly to Mescal, Pascal underwent intense gladiator training for his role, which he found challenging, but deemed the experience "the most exciting" of his career due to growing up with Scott's films.[21] In December, Hounsou announced that, despite initially being involved, he would not be returning for the sequel due to scheduling conflicts.[73]

Filming

Production was expected to begin in May 2023, with Ouarzazate, Morocco set as a filming location.[74] Set construction began in the city in April.[75] Filming began in June 2023 with additional filming locations planned for Malta, which stood-in for ancient Rome, and the United Kingdom over the following four months,[76][77] with few early sequences being shot at Morocco before flying to Malta to shoot the rest of the film. Mescal felt some nerves over shooting in the assembled Colosseum and shooting scenes with Washington.[66] Scott purposely took Mescal to the Colosseum set so he could familiarize himself with it, as Mescal hadn't done any big studio movies before.[15] An accident involving fire during filming on June 7 injured six crew members.[78] Filming was suspended in July due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes.[79] For a fight sequence, a rhinoceros was created via 3D printing controlled by radio remote, but filming the scene took two or three days and affected Mescal's physicality due to the temperature.[21] Filming resumed on December 4 in Malta,[80] and wrapped on January 17, 2024.[81] Filming also took place on the South Downs at Devil's Dyke, Sussex in June 2024.[82]

Funding

In August 2023, the Times of Malta reported that the government of Malta was due to pay €46,653,961 to the subsidiary company of Paramount Studios producing the film, and "breaks the record for the biggest state aid to cinema in the EU."[83]

Music

Main article: Gladiator II (soundtrack)

In January 2024, it was reported that Harry Gregson-Williams was composing the score for the film, taking over from Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard who scored the first film.[84] Zimmer decided not to return because he did not want to repeat his work from the first film. In an interview with Curzon, he said that the film was "in really good hands" with Gregson-Williams, who had started his career as Zimmer's assistant.[85]

Gregson-Williams wrote 100 minutes of original score for the film, and used some of Zimmer and Gerrard's musical cues from the first film.[86]

Release

Gladiator II was released internationally, including the United Kingdom, on November 15, 2024, and later in the United States and Canada on November 22, by Paramount Pictures. Universal Pictures declined to co-finance the sequel or distribute it overseas as it had the first film, leaving only Paramount as the worldwide distributor.[87][88] In Australia, Italy and New Zealand, Gladiator II was released earlier on November 14,[89] following the film's world premiere in Sydney on October 30.[90] It was previously scheduled for a global release on November 22.[91]

On July 1, 2024, it was announced that the film's release date would be shared with the first of the two-part film adaptation of the musical Wicked (from original film’s co-distributior, Universal), whose date was moved from November 27 to avoid competition with Moana 2. This sparked speculation on whether pitting the two films together could lead to a scenario similar to the Barbenheimer phenomenon, which was a result of Barbie and Oppenheimer both being released on July 21, 2023.[92] On July 10, 2024, Mescal called the double release "Glicked" and voiced his support for the two films to be shown as a double feature, saying "It would be amazing 'cause I think the films couldn't be more polar opposites and it worked in that context previously. So, fingers crossed people come out and see both films on opening weekend".[93]

Much like the original film, Gladiator II was given a R rating by the Motion Picture Association due to "strong bloody violence".[94] Unlike other past films of his, Scott has stated that Gladiator II will not receive a director's cut, as he has earned the right to have his final cut and removed some scenes during filming so he did not need to do so after finishing the film.[95] In Australia, two cuts of the film were released; the original uncut MA15+ version (with the consumer advice "strong themes and violence"), and the edited M-rated version ("animal cruelty, blood and gore, injury detail and violence") where blood spray is either trimmed down or removed.[96]

Marketing

Footage of the film screened at the CinemaCon 2024 in Las Vegas included scenes of Joseph Quinn as Geta dressed in a white toga and laurel-leaf crown dramatically plunging his thumb downward to note the fate of defeated gladiators, with Nielsen in the background.[77] In June of that year, Scott showcased an extended clip of the film featuring Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and Quinn.[97]

A poster for the film was released on July 8, 2024, with a trailer released the following day.[98] The trailer would also reportedly be attached to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), which was released on July 26, 2024.[99] Jennifer Ouellette of Ars Technica said the trailer indicated the film "promises to be just as much of a visual feast, as a new crop of power players (plus a couple of familiar faces) clash over the future of Rome".[100] Rather than using an orchestral score, the first trailer used "No Church in the Wild" by Jay-Z and Kanye West, which caused a backlash among film fans who said it was too modern of a song choice. Some justified this choice of music by citing the trailer for the first Gladiator which had used "Bawitdaba" by Kid Rock.[101] Screen Rant criticized how the second trailer spoiled the plot twist of Maximus being Lucius's father; while a common fan theory since the first film's release, Adam Bentz found it questionable to reveal in a trailer, as it could have been emotionally impactful for audiences like it was for Mescal when he found out his character's relationship with the original's protagonist.[102]

On the first day of the 2024 NFL season, Paramount Pictures and Pepsi announced a campaign cross-promoting the film with the soft drink's sponsorship of the National Football League. A series of advertisements featured football stars Josh Allen, Derrick Henry, Justin Jefferson, and Travis Kelce as "Gridiron Gladiators", with Megan Thee Stallion appearing as Empress Megan.[103]

On October 4, 2024, Japanese professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced that the movie would sponsor that year's King of Pro-Wrestling event on October 14, which is slated to be the first since 2019.[104]

On 1 November 2024, at Lucca Comics & Games 2024, to promote the film in Italian cinemas, Francesco Totti played a Roman centurion.[105][106] On November 11, 2024, Scuderia Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. attended the film's premiere in London as part of a collaboration with Paramount to promote the film, with the film's actors Paul Mescal, Connie Nielsen, and Fred Hechinger joining the team at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The film's logo appeared on Ferrari's car for the Grand Prix itself.[107]

Reception

Box office

As of November 25, 2024, Gladiator II has grossed $60.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $165.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $226.1 million.[5][4]

In the United States and Canada, Gladiator II was projected to gross around $60 million from 3,500 theaters in its opening weekend. It will compete with Universal's Wicked, in a release that has been compared to 2023's Barbenheimer due to their contrasting target audiences.[108][109] The film made $22 million on its first day, including $6.5 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $55.5 million, finishing second behind Wicked. It marked the biggest opening weekend of Denzel Washington's career, and also topped 8 Mile ($51.2 million in 2002) for the best opening for a November R-rated film.[110]

The film was released in 63 territories one week ahead of its U.S. release and earned $87 million, the biggest opening weekend of Ridley Scott's career.[111]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 314 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Echoing its predecessor while upping the bloodsport and camp, Gladiator II is an action extravaganza that derives much of its strength and honor from Denzel Washington's scene-stealing performance."[112] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 62 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[113] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale (down from the first film's A), while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 77% overall positive score, with 64% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.[110]

Rotten Tomatoes reported that critics praised the action, performances, story, and visuals, but some argued that "plot-wise it's actually too similar to its predecessor".[114] Similarly, Metacritic stated that "most critics also feel that the film lives in the shadow of the more emotional and ultimately superior original."[115] Early reactions from the film's first screening at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on October 18, 2024, were positive. Critics praised Scott's direction, the set pieces, battle sequences and Mescal's and Washington's performances, mentioning that Scott and Washington could be nominated for the Academy Awards, but a few felt the film lacked an "emotional punch" when compared to the original film.[116][117][118] Film critic Scott Menzel deemed the film Scott's best since The Martian (2015), a "big, bloody and bad ass action spectacle" that builds upon the original film's legacy.[116]

Historical accuracy

The film's historical accuracy was also criticized for its many deviations from fact. Some inaccuracies include the siege of a Numidian city by Roman triremes and the presence of sharks in a naumachia.[119] Numidia had already been part of the Roman Empire for about 250 years during the reign of Caracalla.[120] University of Chicago historian Shadi Bartsch described the film as "total Hollywood bullshit".[121] At the same time, baboons and a rhinoceros showcased on the Colosseum's arena are historically attested,[119] although there is no record of gladiators riding a rhinoceros.[122] Scholar Ray Laurence noted that "the ancient admiration of those who defy death as gladiators is nicely set out by the film" and that "the culture of gladiators is well presented with a doctor of gladiators".[119]

Prior to the reenacted naval battle within the Colosseum, the announcer claims that the gladiators would be reenacting the Battle of Salamis between the Trojans and the Persians. In reality, the Battle of Salamis was fought in 480 BCE between the Greek city-states and the Persians, with no Trojan involvement.[123]

The real-life Macrinus was a praetorian prefect of Berber descent from North Africa (not sub-Saharan African descent) who became Roman emperor in 217 AD after conspiring against Caracalla and having him murdered.[124][125] He was not a slave to Marcus Aurelius and never trained gladiators.[126] In an interview with The Times where Denzel Washington addressed the historical inaccuracy of Macrinus being adapted as a Black man in the film, Washington acknowledged that the real Macrinus was not black.[127]

The emperors Geta and Caracalla were not twins. Lucius Verus was Roman emperor from 161 AD until his death in 169 AD, alongside his adoptive brother Marcus Aurelius.[128] The character of Lucilla is also based on a real historical figure. The real-life Lucilla was the daughter of Marcus Aurelius and the wife of Lucius Verus. One of their sons was named Lucius Verus.[122]

There is no historical record of a Roman general named Marcus Acacius.[122] The Roman co-emperors Geta and Caracalla were of mixed Italic, Arab and Punic North African, but the actors who played them are not.[129]

Accolades

Award/Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 20, 2024 Original Score – Feature Film Harry Gregson-Williams Nominated [130]
Camerimage November 23, 2024 Golden Frog John Mathieson Nominated [131]
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards January 11, 2025 Best Picture Gladiator II Pending [132]
Best Director Ridley Scott Pending
Best Supporting Actor Denzel Washington Pending
Best Supporting Actress Connie Nielsen Pending

Potential sequel

In September 2024, Scott revealed that he was developing a script for a third film, and that the realization depends on the reception for the second installment. Titled Gladiator III, the plot was stated to follow the continuing adventures of Lucius Verus. Likening the ending of Gladiator II to The Godfather Part II (1974), the filmmaker stated that the next movie would explore the character's realization that he is now tasked with a continuing reputation that he does not want.[133][134] Scott later stated that the movie is in early stages of development and intended to be the next project he works on,[135] though the following month he stated to The New York Times his next projects after Gladiator II will be a Bee Gees biopic, set to shoot in September 2025, and an adaptation of the science fiction novel The Dog Stars, set to shoot in Italy in April 2025.[15][136]

Notes

  1. ^ As depicted in Gladiator (2000)
  2. ^ Multiple references:[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37]

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