Be prepared to enter the arena once again in Gladiator II. Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel opens in theaters on November 22, 2024. Will Gladiator II become one of the highest-grossing films domestically in 2024? Below, we examine Gladiator II’s opening weekend box office odds.
Gladiator II: What Is It About?
24 years after Gladiator, a new warrior will look to win over the Roman crowd inside the Colosseum.
Paul Mescal stars as Lucius, the former heir to the Roman Empire and son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe).
Lucius was sent away to live in Numidia. However, Lucius’ life is uprooted by the invading Roman army, who kill his wife and force him into slavery.
Hellbent on revenge, Lucius trains to be a gladiator, just like his father did in the first film. Lucius seeks to win over the crowd, destroy the empire, and restore the glory of Rome.
In addition to Mescal and Nielsen, Gladiator II stars Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius, Joseph Quinn as Emperor Geta, Fred Hechinger as Emperor Caracalla, and Denzel Washington as Macrinus.
Scott produces and directs Gladiator II from a script by David Scarpa, based on a story he co-wrote with Peter Craig. Producers include Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, Michael Pruss, and David Franzoni.
Gladiator II Opening Weekend Box Office Odds
| Opening Weekend Box Office: Domestic | Odds |
|---|---|
| Less than $53 million | +3233 |
| $53 million-$60 million | +614 |
| $60 million-$67 million | +133 |
| $67 million-$75 million | +355 |
| Over $75 million | +355 |
Odds via Polymarket on 11/20/24 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Gladiator II should garner a strong opening weekend for an R-rated epic.
Variety has Gladiator II opening to a domestic total of $65 million. Deadline has a similar prediction of over $60 million.
If Gladiator II opens to $65 million, it will be the biggest opening for an R-rated film in November. It also would be the best three-day domestic opening for Scott.
Gladiator II faces stiff competition at the box office. Wicked, the feature film adaptation of the popular stage musical, opens the same day as Gladiator II. However, Wicked should easily win the weekend with over $100 million domestic.
In 2000, Gladiator opened to $34.8 million during its opening weekend. The epic action film received 12 Oscar nominations and won five, including Best Picture.
