Having made his acting debut in the 1970s, Gladiator II became Denzel Washington's best-performing outing financially, as its $450+ million box office is the highest of his career. Washington may be one of the biggest names in the industry, but he rarely appears in massive franchises, hence his number of box office mega hits being a lot lower than expected.

The actor has still had plenty of financial successes, but it's a huge surprise for a star of his quality not to have a movie grossing over $500 million. This could all be about to change though, as his name has been attached to a huge project, one Washington himself has even confirmed he'll supposedly be a part of. Although nothing has been officially confirmed, Denzel Washington is expected to appear in Black Panther 3 after the actor mentioned a part is being written for him, and if he is involved, it should easily sur his current box office record.

Black Panther 3 Would Likely Become Denzel Washington’s Highest-Grossing Movie

The Two Previous Black Panther Movies Have Made Way More Than Gladiator II

The MCU has become one of the most profitable movie franchises of all time, and the first two Black Panther movies alone made over $2 billion collectively. Having first appeared in Captain America: Civil War, Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther went on to get his own movie in 2018, which made over $1.3 billion. It remains one of the highest-grossing superhero films of all time, and although Boseman sadly ed away before the sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever still made over $859 million at the box office, showing how much potential a third installment has financially.

Even if the third film performs worse than Wakanda Forever, it could make almost $400 million less than its predecessor and still become Washington's highest-grossing project.

Therefore, with Washington revealing he'll be a part of Black Panther 3, it's all but guaranteed to overtake Gladiator II as his biggest box office hit. Even if the third film performs worse than Wakanda Forever, it could make almost $400 million less than its predecessor and still become Washington's highest-grossing project. Additionally, the MCU has some big movies lined up in the coming years, and assuming the franchise regains some of its popularity, Black Panther 3 seems destined to be a certified hit, meaning the veteran actor should break his current record if he does feature.

How Gladiator II’s Box Office Compares To Denzel Washington’s Other Hit Movies

Gladiator II Is Washington's Highest-Grossing Movie By A Pretty Large Distance

With Gladiator II becoming a financial hit, it is now Denzel Washington's highest-grossing movie by quite some distance. American Gangster was his previous best box office outing, with the film making just shy of $270 million. Philadelphia and Safe House also made over $200 million, and these projects are the closest Washington has come to getting near Gladiator II's impressive worldwide total. A major reason for the veteran not having more box office juggernauts is he barely appears in sequels or established franchises, with The Equalizer being the most notable success, yet Washington helped build the cinematic trilogy from scratch.

All three installments of The Equalizer managed to sur the $190 million mark, proving Washington in a leading role is still a major draw. However, with his projects looking like they will follow the same tradition of his career, it may take something like Black Panther 3 to overcome Gladiator II and give him the box office giant he deserves. Still, regardless of how much money his films make, Denzel Washington continues to thrive with every new performance, and he'll be ed as one of the all-time greats, with or without the Marvel Cinematic Universe.