Puck’s Scott Mendelson believes, when all is said and done, that Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” which had a $55M opening weekend, will end up grossing less than $450M worldwide. Mendelson believes the film will have a very hard time to break even.
Having approved a budget of $250M, Paramount surely expects a more robust theatrical performance in the days ahead, but word of mouth hasn’t been that strong on the film. It’s come to the point where it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Scott’s “Gladiator III” gets quietly shelved.
It’s no secret that “Gladiator II” was an expensive production, and despite Scott reiterating that he was actually under budget when shooting wrapped, that $250M budget — confirmed by Deadline, Variety and THR — does stick out like a sore thumb. The film will likely not see big profits just from theatrical earnings, and will have to instead rely on rental and streaming to make its money back.
Scott recently mentioned having, so far, written twelve pages for “Gladiator III,” but who actually wants to see that movie? This won’t sadden me one bit, and maybe then Scott will finally get to make the western that he’s been hinting at for a few years now, titled “Freewalkers.”