The second installment of Gladiator has to live up to expectations and make a lot of money if it wants to surpass its predecessor.
The sequel to Ridley Scott's masterpiece has caused a media stir and much speculation, from the reasons why Russell Crowe does not appear in Gladiator IIto the difficult battle it must fight if it wants to surpass its predecessor, both in terms of narrative quality, reception and awards, as well as its profitable box office career. The problem lies in that Gladiator (2000) managed to raise 460 million dollars during its initial release, this implies that The second installment has to raise a billion dollars to surpass it.
Can Gladiator 2 challenge the original story?
Denzel Washington's film shows promise, but will it be enough to surpass the original?
The story of Maximus not only captured the hearts of audiences, it also marked a milestone in the film industry and became the highest-grossing production for Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe. Gladiator grossed 4.4 times its budget at the box officeTo be more exact, it had a budget of $103 million and made a return of $460 million, thus placing it second on the list of highest-grossing films of 2000.
In this sense, matching the profitability of the first delivery is an uphill challenge for Gladiator IIHowever, we must remember that in the world of cinema, a film is considered profitable if it manages to multiply its budget two and a half or three times, which means that the top figure for a sequel is between $500 and $600 dollars.
Expectations are around one billion dollars
Yes ok Gladiator II will pay tribute to the first part, it is clear that The goal is to match or surpass the original storyand the easiest way is to achieve a return large enough to ensure that production can continue to consolidate a success of the same magnitude.
On the other hand, we cannot forget that The budget of the sequel doubles that of the first installmentInitially, the project was tipped to cost $165 million, a reasonable figure for Paramount, who did not hesitate to accept the idea of giving free rein to the project.
However, the number has changed substantially. Although there was even talk of the need to invest $310 million, according to the study, the production of Gladiator II cost $250 million.
So you don't have to be a math genius to understand that if the film is to repeat the feat of the original and gross four times its budget, it requires a box office take of one billion dollars.
Unlikely to achieve the same budget-to-box office ratio
Even if Gladiator II is a success, it still has little chance of surpassing the first film.
Although box office figures are unknown, Gladiator IIeverything indicates that There are very few possibilities to achieve such a large box office. However, this is not the only way to measure success, especially considering the limited number of films that have reached this milestone in recent years.
The sequel not only can be profitable with lessbut it is not just as appreciated as its predecessor. The reason for this is that it has a lot going for it. For starters, the talent of its director and a cast that combines great acting figures, including Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington, and rising stars, such as Paul Mescal.
On the other hand, there is the solidity of its argument, the plot revolves around Lucius, a young man with a desire to recover the honor and glory that Rome lost at the hands of the tyrannical emperors who run the empire. Although he is Commodus' nephew, his admiration for Maximus leads him to compete in the Coliseum as just another gladiator.
Ultimately, although the official trailer for Gladiator II has made a good impression on those of us who have been waiting for more than 24 years, It won't be easy to surpass the box office success achieved by the original storyconsidering that it cost twice as much to produce. From a financial point of view, it only needs to reach 500 million to be profitable, so talking about a billion dollars is a rather exorbitant figure.
You can follow Alpha Beta on Facebook, WhatsApp or Twitter (X) to stay up to date with the latest video game news.