Gladiator II helped propel Ridley Scott past a major box office milestone. Since its launch on November 22nd Gladiator II had a modest showing at the global box office. Although losing to Evil in the Barbenheimer-like "Glicked" battle, Gladiator II had several notable box office achievements throughout its run. This included becoming the highest-grossing film of Denzel Washington's career, surpassing the Equalizer franchise and other notable titles. The film remains in theaters to this day, where it now competes with more recent releases such as Nosferatus, Mufasaand A complete stranger.
According to The Numbers, Gladiator II has now helped director Scott reach a major career milestone. All of the films Scott has directed have now reached a cumulative worldwide box office total of $5 billion. Scott is one of only nine directors to achieve this feat, appearing on a list that includes Christopher Nolan, David Yates, Michael Bay, Peter Jackson, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo and Steven Spielberg.
What this means for Ridley Scott
He's in an elite group
This latest achievement places Scott among an elite group at the box office. The director had already climbed into the top 10 highest-grossing directors of all time earlier this year on the back of Gladiator IIdefeating Tim Burton and JJ Abrams. Scott is now sitting at no. 9, a position he will likely remain in unless he launches a shocking $1 billion coup sometime before the end of his career.
At the time of writing, Gladiator II is the third highest-grossing film of Scott's career. That's pretty impressive considering some of the films below it, including Foreigner franchise films like Prometheus, Foreignerand Alien: Alliance. Having been in theaters for over a month, Gladiator IIthe momentum is starting to slow. Still, it has a chance to become the second highest-grossing film of Scott's career, as it is just over $16 million behind the 2000 film. Gladiator at the global box office. His highest-grossing film is The Martian.
Our opinion on Ridley Scott's achievement
He is unique among the highest-grossing directors
Scott is rare among the top 10 highest-grossing directors list, as several of his highest-grossing films are not part of major franchises. The Martian It's based on a book, but it's an independent work of art. Likewise, although Gladiator II is a sequel, the first film was an original IP, rather than a comic book adaptation or something more certain to be successful, as in the case of Nolan or the Russo brothers. Aided by Gladiator IIScott's latest record is a testament to the strength of his career.
Source: The Numbers