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- ‘Gladiator II’ Lacks Broad Audience Appeal
- ‘Glicked’ Isn’t Quite the New ‘Barbenheimer’
- ‘Gladiator II’ Is Too Expensive to Be Profitable
As a seasoned movie critic with over three decades of experience, I must say that the simultaneous release of Gladiator II and Wicked has left me somewhat underwhelmed. While it’s intriguing to witness such a unique phenomenon, the Glicked phenomenon has a long way to go to match the monumental success of Barbenheimer.
16 years following the momentous events portrayed in the 2000 historical epic film “Gladiator,” which amassed $465 million globally and clinched five Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Russell Crowe’s remarkable portrayal of Maximus Decimus Meridius, the titular character, we find ourselves immersed in “Gladiator II.” Directed by Ridley Scott once more, this sequel introduces Paul Mescal as Lucius, Maximus’s biological son. In the story, Lucius embarks on a quest for vengeance against the Roman army led by Acacius, portrayed by Pedro Pascal, after they invade his home and brutally murder his wife. With Russell Crowe not reprising his role, Denzel Washington steps into the spotlight as Macrinus, a former slave who takes Lucius under his wing while simultaneously plotting to seize control of Rome.
Simultaneously unveiled with the fantasy musical film “Wicked”, the anticipated sequel to “Gladiator” (let’s call it Gladiator 2) was expected to earn a whopping $60 million during its domestic opening weekend. However, it turned out that “Wicked” stole the show, leaving “Gladiator 2” in second place with a domestic debut of $55.5 million. This is the highest domestic opening for Washington’s career, surpassing the $43.5 million opening of the 2007 crime film “American Gangster”, directed by Scott. Notably, this is also the best November opening for an R-rated movie. Moreover, the international debut of “Gladiator 2” grossed a staggering $87 million, setting a new record for Scott’s best international debut.
Despite breaking records for Gladiator II, its impressive accomplishments pale in comparison when we take into account its staggering $250 million production budget. This is around $100 million higher than Wicked and more than double the cost of the original Gladiator. Consequently, the sequel faces an incredibly steep hurdle to achieve profitability in theaters, a challenge that might prove extremely challenging, if not insurmountable.
‘Gladiator II’ Lacks Broad Audience Appeal
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It’s not unexpected that most viewers of Gladiator II are men, with around 61% of its ticket buyers being male. Interestingly, this male audience is younger than anticipated, as 49% fall within the 18-to-34 age group, and 48% are over 35 years old, despite Gladiator having been released nearly 25 years ago.
Contrastingly, it’s clear that the audience for Wicked overwhelmingly outnumbered that of Gladiator II at the domestic box office upon its release with an opening of $112.5 million. This is predominantly a female-oriented crowd, as women make up 72% of the film’s viewers. On the other hand, men comprise 61% of the audience for Gladiator II, which is slightly lower than the 62% male share for Oppenheimer. Released in July 2023, Oppenheimer garnered over $975 million at the global box office, while Gladiator II currently stands at nearly $310 million in total earnings worldwide.
The vast majority of predictions for box office earnings of “Gladiator II” primarily stem from the enduring impact of the original “Gladiator,” a film that was both commercially and critically successful upon its initial release, and has since garnered massive popularity across various platforms like cable, streaming services, and home video. It is often hailed as one of the greatest movies ever produced.
In contrast to Gladiator II, despite boasting a 71% Rotten Tomatoes rating and 83% audience score, it hasn’t diminished the original’s reputation. However, due to its plot resemblance to the original Gladiator, Gladiator II struggles to distance itself from the shadow of its predecessor, making it less appealing to a newer generation of viewers born after the first film was released in 2000. This is evident as only 14% of the sequel’s male audience is under 25 years old.
‘Glicked’ Isn’t Quite the New ‘Barbenheimer’
The concurrent cinema release of movies like Gladiator II and Wicked, both distinct in their nature, has been dubbed by viewers and experts as a “Glicked” event, drawing parallels to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon. This latter term emerged on July 21, 2023, when the simultaneous release of equally contrasting films such as Barbie and Oppenheimer ignited an unparalleled box-office and cultural wave.
Although I see some striking resemblances between the two occurrences, it’s clear that the Glicked phenomenon still has quite a journey ahead to reach the heights of success achieved by Barbenheimer. The impressive box office earnings of Barbie and Oppenheimer totaling over $2.4 billion, far surpass the current combined global gross of Gladiator II and Wicked, which is less than $430 million.
In their initial domestic release weekend, Barbie and Oppenheimer together earned approximately $245 million, while Gladiator II and Wicked managed around $170 million. Notably, Oppenheimer went beyond box office success and entered the awards season, with both films garnering a combined total of 21 Academy Award nominations. In the end, Oppenheimer took home the Best Picture Oscar at the ceremony, outshining Barbie.
In the summer of 2023, I found myself in a unique position alongside Barbie and Oppenheimer, as we all held our ground on the domestic box office chart for six consecutive weeks without much serious competition. Meanwhile, Gladiator II and Wicked were expected to feel the heat from the highly anticipated release of Moana 2, which was poised to take over the holiday season box-office scene, potentially relegating us to a footnote in movie history.
‘Gladiator II’ Is Too Expensive to Be Profitable
With a production cost of $250 million and marketing expenses nearly equal to that, approximately $120 million, Gladiator II must earn between $750 million and $800 million at global box offices to cover its theatrical break-even point. However, considering it’s struggling to match the $465 million worldwide gross of the original Gladiator (which had a production cost of less than $100 million), the prospect of Gladiator II reaching these numbers seems unlikely, despite Ridley Scott stating that the film was finished under budget.
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2024-12-01 18:31