Gladiator 2 was in various stages of development for 20 years, and it finally arrived in 2024 — although it was very different from the original 2000 movie. The original Gladiator was beloved by fans and critics alike, gaining 12 Oscar nominations and taking home big prizes in Best Picture and the Best Actor category for star Russell Crowe. Though a sequel seemed out of reach, the long-awaited follow-up did eventually materialize.

Ridley Scott returned once again to be at the helm for Gladiator 2, and plans for the sequel were in the works since the first film's huge success, but went through different scripts and creative teams. At one early stage, Nick Cave was attached as a screenwriter with a script that would see Crowe's Maximus returning in a reincarnated form to go on a fantastical romp through historical eras. Thankfully, the plans have changed, and Gladiator 2 returned to a more conventional action story in line with the original.

Gladiator 2 Digital Release Date

Watch The Movie At Home For Christmas 2024

After it's box-office-smashing theatrical run, it didn't take long for Gladiator 2 to receive a digital release date. Coming just in time for the holidays, the Ridley Scott sequel drops on VOD platforms starting December 24, 2024. The 4K UHD version of the movie will apparently come packaged with a heap of behind-the-scenes content, including over 100 minutes of interviews and footage.

For those not looking to pay for the digital version of the movie, Gladiator 2 has finally landed a streaming release date on Paramount+ as well. The anachronistic historical epic will premiere on the streaming service starting on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. This streaming date only pertains to North America (US & Canada), and other regions will get release dates soon.

Gladiator 2 Box Office & Critical Reactions

Gladiator Falls To Much Tougher Competition

Predicted to be a box-office smash, Gladiator 2 was met with stiff competition when it opened the same day as the first part of Wicked. Unfortunately for the historical epic, Wicked cleaned up the weekend and made nearly $200 million. However, things aren't all doom and gloom for the newest Ridley Scott movie, as Gladiator 2 managed to become one of Scott's highest-grossing movies after only one weekend in theaters. Even if Wicked is siphoning off a portion of its audience, the sequel is a big hit already.

Reviews have also been quite positive for the long-awaited continuation, and it's clear that Gladiator 2 has blazed its own trail while remaining true to the original. Screen Rant gave the movie 8 out of 10 stars, praising the film's over-the-top action sequence and expressing surprise in its overall humor. The movie's tone is a bit divisive though, and Huffpost perhaps summed it up best by explaining that the movie is certainly entertaining but can also be jarringly disparate in its tone.

• Box Office: Glicked Weekend Sees Wicked Defying Gladiator 2 With Huge $100M+ Projections [Full Chart Update]
• Gladiator 2’s Box Office Breaks A Ridley Scott Record Before Its Battle With Wicked Even Starts
• Gladiator 2 Already A Box Office Hit Days Before US Release

Gladiator 2 premiered on November 22, 2024.

Gladiator 2 Cast Details

Paul Mescal Leads A Star-Studded Cast

The Gladiator 2 cast quickly expanded with many notable actors attached. The Gladiator sequel sees Academy Award-nominated actor Paul Mescal (Aftersun) take on the lead role of Lucius. In Gladiator, Lucius was the son of Roman empress Lucilla and Lucius Verus, nephew to the villainous Roman Emperor Commodus. In the original film, he was played by Spencer Treat Clark, but Mescal took over the role.

Fred Hechinger plays Emperor Caracalla in Gladiator 2, whom Barry Keoghan was originally rumored to be playing. Emperor Caracalla was a real Roman figure, who ruled from 198 to 211. Denzel Washington steals the show as Macrinus, while Joseph Quinn stuns as the villainous Emperor Geta.

• So, What Happened To May Calamawy’s Role In Gladiator 2?

Gladiator 2 Trailer

Watch The Full Trailers Below

Paramount Pictures released a 3-minute trailer in anticipation of Gladiator 2's release date, and it is a spectacle in its own right. The lengthy teaser introduces Paul Mescal's Lucius as the son of the slain Maximus (Russell Crowe from Gladiator) who has dedicated his life to getting revenge. Enter Denzel Washington's Macrinus, a shady character who also dreams of bringing down Rome, and is willing to harness Lucius' blood-rage to achieve his goals. Though all was not revealed, the trailer succeeds at imparting the sheer scope of the long-awaited historical epic.

As the wait continued for the sequel, a second trailer for Gladiator 2 was revealed in September 2024. Highlighting the action-packed nature of the follow-up, the trailer opens with epic battles before switching to Lucius' quest for revenge. Having been purchased by Macrinus, Lucius begins to dominate in the arena while fomenting a rebellion against the entire Roman Empire. Perhaps the most shocking reveal in the new trailer is that Mescal's Lucius is actually the son of Maximus.

Gladiator 2 Ending & Spoilers

Lucius Carries On Maximus' Legacy

if Gladiator 2 truly is the end of Scott's epic, it went out with a big bang.

The ending of Gladiator 2 borrows many structural aspects from the original, and in that way it features a satisfying conclusion. However, with the rumbling of a threequel already brewing, the ending also doesn't close the door for a more closely-related sequel. The distance of time between sequels necessitated a fast-forward in the story, but the ending of Gladiator 2 could lead to a more direct follow-up. Nevertheless, if Gladiator 2 truly is the end of Scott's epic, it went out with a big bang.

• Does Gladiator 2 Have A Post-Credits Scene?
• Gladiator 2 Ending: Macrinus's Fate & Thematic Connections Explained By Ridley Scott
• Gladiator 2 Gives Lucilla A More Meaningful Ending Than The One She Got In Real Life

Gladiator 3 Sequel Set Up

Director Ridley Scott Has Teased A Threequel

Gladiator 2 is a classic sequel in that it borrows elements from the original in order to be familiar, but advances the story enough to be different as well. The ending of Gladiator 2 was far from conclusive, and it leaves many important characters in different places than where they started. This opens the door for a more direct sequel that could explore the consequences of the first sequel.

• How Gladiator 2 Sets Up Gladiator 3 & What Ridley Scott Has Said About Making It