Ridley Scotts Gladiator 2 Becomes a Netflix Streaming Success

Despite being a household name in the movie world thanks to franchises like Alien and Blade Runner, and holding the rank of the eighth-highest-grossing director of all time, Ridley Scott’s movies haven’t always found success at the box office. His recent cinematic venture, which adapted Peter Heller’s 2012 novel The Dog Stars, debuted in theaters earlier this fall to an underwhelming opening of only $7.7 million domestically. Another one of Scott’s recent hits is finding a second life on streaming.

Gladiator II, Scott’s 2024 sequel to his 2000 epic Gladiator, has been dominating the charts on Netflix. The film joined the platform on Wednesday, October 21st, and quickly topped the streaming service’s list of the Top 10 most-streamed movies in the United States as of Friday, October 23rd. This newfound attention is impressive because the film grossed $462.2 million at the global box office against a budget ranging from $210 to $310 million.

Netflix data shows that Gladiator II ranked as the ninth most-streamed movie overall for the week of October 19th through the 25th, drawing over three million views. Other titles in that Top 10 include the Ben Affleck-directed Animals, installments in the animated Ice Age franchise, and the animated feature Hot Wheels Let’s Race: Attack of the T-Rex.

Paramount describes Gladiator II as a story that “continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.”

Along with Mescal, the cast of Gladiator II includes Pedro Pascal as General Acacius, Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, Denzel Washington as Macrinus, Joseph Quinn as Geta, Fred Hechinger as Caracalla, Lior Raz as Viggo, and Derek Jacobi as Gracchus. While preparing to release Gladiator II, Ridley Scott revealed plans to expand the story into a third film, though no updates have emerged since then. Perhaps streaming success on Netflix will help move the needle.

Source: Polygon