Paul Mescal's Lucius in Gladiator 2 (2024) above a pile of money, between a blurred image of Prometheus (2012) and Ridley Scott Gladiator 2 continues to perform well at the worldwide box office as the movie threatens to smash two Ridley Scott milestones. While not regarded as the best of Ridley Scott’s movies, Gladiator 2 was still mostly well-received by critics and audiences alike. Thanks to Gladiator 2‘s ensemble cast, the film transcended the need for Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius and returned audiences to ancient Rome in a way that has proved to resonate.

This has even led to discussions over Gladiator 3‘s story. Many would have been hesitant to wish for two more Gladiator movies after the seemingly perfect ending of the original, but Gladiator 2 demonstrated there is still life in the franchise. Not only did Gladiator 2 prove this from a story perspective, but also from a commercial one too. Gladiator 2‘s box office remains strong despite competition from Moana 2 and Wicked. With the former showing no sign of slowing down, it is only a matter of time before it surpasses two Ridley Scott milestones at the box office.

Gladiator 2 Is Only $80 Million Away From Becoming Ridley Scott’s Highest-Grossing Franchise Return

Gladiator Is Edging Closer To Cutting Down Xenomorphs & Engineers

Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus Aurelius looking seriously off to the right with the Colosseum arena behind him in Gladiator 2. Denzel Washington as Macrinus looking serious in Gladiator 2 Pedro Pascal's Acacius sitting with Connie Nielsen's Lucilla in a Colosseum room in Gladiator 2 Imagery-from-Prometheus (1)-1 Prometheus' Engineer standing in water, holding a cup filled with Black Goo. Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus Aurelius looking seriously off to the right with the Colosseum arena behind him in Gladiator 2. Denzel Washington as Macrinus looking serious in Gladiator 2 Pedro Pascal's Acacius sitting with Connie Nielsen's Lucilla in a Colosseum room in Gladiator 2 Imagery-from-Prometheus (1)-1 Prometheus' Engineer standing in water, holding a cup filled with Black Goo.

The first record that Gladiator 2 is close to breaking regarding Ridley Scott’s box office career centers around his return to franchises. Scott is not a filmmaker who tends to craft long-running franchises in which he returns as director multiple times, only having done so a select number of times. Gladiator 2 is one of these instances, as was his return to the Alien franchise with 2012’s Prometheus and 2017’s Alien: Covenant, and the box office earnings of these movies via The Numbers highlight the record Scott could break with the former.

Ridley Scott Franchise Returns
Domestic Box Office
Worldwide Box Office

Prometheus
$126,477,084
$402,448,265

Alien: Covenant
$74,262,031
$238,521,247

Gladiator 2
$113,571,093 (Ongoing)
$322,362,990 (Ongoing)

Evidently, Gladiator 2 has surpassed Alien: Covenant regarding its box office earnings in the United States and Canada. In the same market, it is only around $13 million away from doing the same with Prometheus. Regarding worldwide box office earnings, Gladiator II has breezed past Alien: Covenant. That said, there is still work to do for the film to outgross Prometheus, with Gladiator 2 needing to earn around $80 million more overall to do so. If this occurs, Gladiator 2 will become the highest-grossing franchise return directed by Ridley Scott.

Gladiator 2 Needs $95 Million To Push Ridley Scott Past The $5 Billion Box Office Milestone

Scott’s Career Success Is Evident, & Gladiator 2 Can Only Improve This

Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon stands on a battlefield in Egypt in Ridley Scott's Napoleon Russell Crowe as Maximus above blurred images of his dream where he reunites with his family in Gladiator (2000). A xenomorph roars in Ripley's face in Alien 3 Geena Davis as Thelma and Susan Sarandon as Louise Look At Each Other While Pointing Guns in Thelma and Louise Rook with just his head on the table with white goo on his face in Alien Romulus Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon stands on a battlefield in Egypt in Ridley Scott's Napoleon Russell Crowe as Maximus above blurred images of his dream where he reunites with his family in Gladiator (2000). A xenomorph roars in Ripley's face in Alien 3 Geena Davis as Thelma and Susan Sarandon as Louise Look At Each Other While Pointing Guns in Thelma and Louise Rook with just his head on the table with white goo on his face in Alien Romulus

As alluded to, Gladiator 2 has the chance to hand Scott another box office record. The first concerns his return to franchises, while the second pertains to his overall box office earnings in his entire career. Thus far, including Gladiator 2‘s earnings as of the time of writing, Ridley Scott-directed movies have earned a worldwide total of $4,905,259,994. For a director with a career as long-lasting as Scott’s, this is hardly a surprise, but Gladiator 2 has the opportunity to make this already impressive number even more breathtaking.

This will place Scott in an elite box office club of filmmakers, with only seven in history having directed movies worth more than $5 billion worldwide…

Gladiator 2 only needs to earn $95 million more to push Scott’s career worldwide box office total above $5 billion. This will place Scott in an elite club of filmmakers, the highest-grossing directors of all time, with only seven in history having directed movies worth more than $5 billion worldwide. These directors are Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, the Russo Brothers, Michael Bay, Peter Jackson, David Yates, and Christopher Nolan. Ridley Scott is surely the next to join these other Hollywood filmmakers given the impressive upward trend of Gladiator 2‘s worldwide earnings.

When Gladiator 2’s Box Office Will Pass These Significant Ridley Scott Milestones

Gladiator 2 Will Accomplish These Feats Sooner Rather Than Later

Paul Mescal as Lucius and Denzel Washington as Macrinus in Gladiator 2Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic.

Naturally, the burning question now is when Gladiator 2 will pass these milestones. As pointed out, the film has some strong competition going into December, with Wicked and Moana 2 breaking box office records alongside Ridley Scott’s swords-and-sandals epic. However, Gladiator 2 performed better than many expected in both its opening and its second weekend despite the competition from both aforementioned musicals, meaning it is not expected to drop too harshly in its third weekend.

Gladiator 2 is also performing well overseas, having opened in some markets a week earlier, on November 15, 2024. With all this in mind, Gladiator 2 is expected to surpass these two Ridley Scott milestones soon. In fact, both will likely be eclipsed in the film’s next big weekend: December 6–December 9. This will be the film’s fourth weekend in many overseas territories, and only its third domestically. With that in mind, if Gladiator 2 can continue to hold strong without too much of a drop-off, these records could be beaten that weekend, if not in the immediate week after.