Paul Mescal as Lucius with a purple sky behind him in the Colosseum in Gladiator 2Gladiator II is being viciously picked apart by historians before the movie has even come out. The film is a long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s historical epic Gladiator, which was originally released in 2000. Its story focuses on Lucius, the son of Russell Crowe’s former character Maximus, who died at the end of the first movie. Gladiator II features a talented leading cast including Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Joseph Quinn. It is set for release on November 22.

Weeks before the movie has even gotten a chance to release, The Hollywood Reporter reveals that historians are already criticizing the content of Gladiator II. The criticism includes words from classics professors such as the University of Chicago’s Dr. Shadi Bartsch, who called the movie “Total Hollywood bullsh*t.” The professor also points out a wild inaccuracy involving a Roman person reading the newspaper while sipping tea in a café. Bartsch points out that they had “daily news” but it was carved into stone, and the Romans also “didn’t have cafés.”

What These Complaints Mean For Gladiator II

This Could Hurt Gladiator II’s Box Office Chances

Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal) holds out his sword as in Gladiator 2
Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal yell while fighting in the Colosseum in Gladiator 2 Paul Mescal with cuts on his face in Gladiator 2 Paul Mescal as Lucius bleeding and holding a sword in Gladiator 2 Lucius (Paul Mescal) wields his sword while surrounded by armored individuals in Gladiator IILucius Verus (Paul Mescal) holds out his sword as in Gladiator 2 Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal yell while fighting in the Colosseum in Gladiator 2
 Paul Mescal with cuts on his face in Gladiator 2 Paul Mescal as Lucius bleeding and holding a sword in Gladiator 2 Lucius (Paul Mescal) wields his sword while surrounded by armored individuals in Gladiator II

Because the movie has not yet been released, these historical complaints have been hedged merely against the Gladiator II trailers and other initial clips. The fact that Bartsch was able to draw out such glaring inaccuracies based on only this content is not a good sign for the full film. With a run time of nearly 2.5 hours, Gladiator II has a long time to maintain its historical moments. If even the initial glimpses are not accurate, it is unlikely that Scott has made a very historically accurate film at all.

This could be a harbinger of doom for Gladiator II‘s box office. Made on a massive budget estimated at anywhere between $165 million and $300 million, Gladiator II is one of the most expensive movies of the year. As such, it will need to see huge box office returns to recoup its production costs alone. Already, it faces a box office battle against Wicked during its opening weekend, and the musical movie has ranked above it in some predictive surveys. If word of mouth spreads news of the historical inaccuracies, it could hurt Gladiator II‘s box office.

Our Take On The Gladiator II Inaccuracies

These Inaccuracies Seem Glaring

Paul Mescal as Lucius looking nostalgic in Gladiator IIImage via Paramount Pictures

Scott has been known to have historical inaccuracies in his films before, but Gladiator II‘s foibles seem especially flagrant. The events of the film came over a millennium before the invention of the printing press, so including a newspaper shows a fairly blatant disregard for historical fact. In the case of Napoleon, Scott was fairly dismissive of factual complaints about the film. It will be interesting to see whether the director mirrors this strategy when it comes to responding to the Gladiator II criticism.