Gladiator II is expected to do well at the box office upon its release, and Ridley Scott will break a seven-year-old record if it makes over $568 million. Although it’s been over 20 years since the original Gladiator came out, interest in seeing the sequel has never died down. Gladiator 2 is one of the most anticipated movies of 2024 due to Ridley Scott’s return to the Roman setting, its action-packed trailers, and the star-studded cast including Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Paul Mescal. All those factors make the movie’s box office prospects promising.
How Gladiator 2 does at the box office will be quite important for Ridley Scott in particular. The director’s movies have faltered at the box office in the years since The Martian gave him a new highest-grossing movie. Gladiator previously held that record after making $451 million (via The Numbers), and there is at least some hope that the sequel could outperform the original. If it does, there are few records that Gladiator 2‘s box office could break, including a notable one for director and producer Ridley Scott from seven years ago.
2017 Is Ridley Scott’s Biggest Year At The Box Office & It’s Not Close
Ridley Scott Was Credited With 7 Movies In 2017
Ridley Scott set a new box office record in 2017 when the collective movies he worked on combined to make $910 million at the box office. He directed two films that year, Alien: Covenant and All The Money In The World, but he was also a producer or executive producer on several other projects. Whether it was documentaries, small horror films, Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express remake, or Denis Villeneve’s Blade Runner 2049, Ridley Scott is credited with seven different projects in 2017 that collectively came only $90 million shy of making $1 billion.
|
Movie |
Box Office Total |
|---|---|
|
Phoenix Forgotten |
$3,697,729 |
|
Alien: Covenant |
$238,521,247 |
|
Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives |
$0 |
|
Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House |
$1,806,266 |
|
Blade Runner 2049 |
$258,157,449 |
|
Murder on the Orient Express |
$351,767,147 |
|
All the Money in the World |
$56,890,649 |
|
Total |
$910,840,487 |
2017 is Ridley Scott’s highest-grossing year at the box office due to the movies he was involved with, and it’s much more than the next closest year. 2015 was his biggest year before then, as The Martian did most of the heavy lifting to get Scott to $711 million that year. With over double the amount of projects in 2017, Ridley Scott shattered that record by nearly $200 million. It’s a record that has been in place ever since. He’s failed to make a third of 2017’s total each year since, showcasing how formidable the record is.
Gladiator 2 Gives Ridley Scott A Chance For A New Record High Year After Alien: Romulus
2024 Could Finally Dethrone Ridley Scott’s Box Office Record
There is now a possibility for 2024 to break Ridley Scott’s box office record if Gladiator 2 can reach a specific total. This is thanks to Ridley Scott serving as a producer on Alien: Romulus. Although directed by Fede Álvarez, Alien: Romulus‘ box office total still counts toward the franchise creator’s yearly box office haul. The franchise prequel has impressed with its performance as the box office total has risen to $342 million, making it the second-highest-grossing movie in the Alien franchise – just behind Prometheus.
2024 is already Ridley Scott’s seventh biggest box office year from Alien: Romulus alone
Because of Alien: Romulus‘ total box office, Ridley Scott is only $568 million shy of surpassing 2017’s record total. That is excellent news for him, considering he still has Gladiator 2 on the horizon. The sequel’s release at the end of the year gives him a chance to finally break the seven-year-old record and do so with the combination of two of his most significant properties. Alien is the franchise that started his career, while Gladiator‘s arrival in 2000 helped him achieve new box office heights. Now, he could break his box office record if Gladiator 2 makes $568 million.
Will Gladiator 2 Actually Break Ridley Scott’s Box Office Record?
The Long-Awaited Sequel Needs To Beat The Original
Gladiator 2 breaking Ridley Scott’s box office record by making over $568 million is easier said than done. The sequel opens in a competitive spot in late November, going head-to-head with Wicked and coming only shortly before Moana 2. While those films are targeting very different demographics, they will still likely eat away somewhat at Gladiator 2‘s upside. This could be less dramatic than expected thanks to a potential bump from the Thanksgiving holiday season and people having more time to possibly go to the theater to see it. The movie earning strong reviews will also help its cause.
The true difficulty for Gladiator 2 in this scenario could be proving to be more popular than the original. Russell Crowe’s 2000 action epic is still highly regarded, and audiences will not be pleased with a less-than-excellent sequel. The love for the first is why it managed to make over $450 million in its original theatrical run. However, Gladiator 2 will have to beat the original by over $100M to give Ridley Scott this record in 2024.
Only one Ridley Scott movie has made over $568 million in his career
It’s also worth noting that Gladiator 2 making the needed amount is practically unprecedented for the director. Only one Ridley Scott movie has made over $568 million in his career: The Martian. He’s delivered plenty of big hits, but reaching this specific milestone is not something he is used to. It’s not impossible, as Gladiator II looks like one of 2024’s last big film events for theaters, but its certainly not guaranteed.