‘Gladiator II’ vanquishes rivals at global box office with $87m opening salvo

Worldwide box office November 15-17

Credit: Comscore. All figures are estimates.

‘Gladiator II’ entertains on $87m worldwide launch

Gladiator II audiences are entertained. Ridley Scott’s sword-and-sandals sequel starring Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal earned an estimated $87m from 63 markets through Paramount Pictures International – setting a record R-rated international launch for Paramount and the highest international bow of the indefatigable British filmmaker’s career.

Gladiator II stormed out of the gates over the weekend in a string of number one debuts, led by the UK on $11.4m from 722 locations, $10.3m from 729 in France, $5.6m from 411 in Spain for the second highest release of the year behind Inside Out 2, $5m from 353 in Australia, and $4.7m from 922 in Mexico.

Twenty-four years after Scott unleashed Russell Crowe in Gladiator, Mescal arrives front-and-centre in the follow-up about a grief-stricken man who arrives in the notorious Colosseum of Rome and must dig into his past and overthrow the corrupt emperors.

Gladiator II opened on $4.3m from 650 in Germany, $3.8m from 530 in Italy, $3.2m from 545 in South Korea, $3m from 759 in Brazil, and $1.8m from 224 in Poland.

The Middle East region combined for a $4.7m debut, including $1.7m from Saudi Arabia, while Netherlands generated $1.7m from 139, Belgium $1.6m from 85, Sweden $1.5m from 268, Denmark $1.4m from 115, and Switzerland $1.2m from 116. The film arrived in second place in Japan on $1m from 368.

This is a mighty start for the recent adventure and it is worth noting that the 2000 best picture Oscar-winning original finished on an unadjusted $277.8m internationally and $465.5m worldwide. Gladiator II opens in North America and China later this week (November 22).

The filmmakers and cast embarked on a global tour spanning seven countries across four continents, featuring appearances in Sydney, Tokyo, Dublin, Paris, and Copenhagen, culminating in the world premiere in London on November 13.

Marketing tie-ins saw a collaboration with Ferrari; Italian transportation system ATAC, featuring branded A-line trains and Circo Massimo station; a circumscribed edition coffee flavour at French cafés; branded ‘Emperador’ cookies in Mexico; and a partnership with high-end dessert shops in Australia.

‘Red One’ reaches $50m internationally

Amazon MGM Studios’ Red One starring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu and J.K. Simmons earned $48.8m globally. In terms of international box office, it dropped 40% in its second weekend of release, earning $14.7m from 14,783 screens in 75 markets through Warner Bros Pictures International to boost the early running total to $50m. Factoring in the number one $34.1m North American bow – a modest result for a film that reportedly cost $250m – the worldwide tally stands at $84.1m.

Warner Bros executives reported UK was the lead market of its territories, grossing $1.8m after a 28% drop for $6m to rank number three. Next was Mexico on $1.3m after a 42% slide resulted in a $4.5m running total heading into Monday’s portion of the Mexican Revolution Day holiday.

Elsewhere, the family adventure about a mission to rescue the kidnapped Santa Claus brought in a further $1.3m in Germany following an excellent 9% drop for $3.1m to rank second; $883,000 in Australia following a 38% fall for second place and a $2.5m cumulative gross; and $846,000 in Brazil for $2m to rank third after an impressive 8% drop.

Red One stands at $2.9m in China, while Imax International reported a $2m haul that combines with $2m from North America for $4.6m worldwide.

’Venom: The Last Dance’ overtakes international total of second instalment

Venom: The Last Dance from Columbia Pictures added an estimated $17.3m from more than 14,850 screens in 66 markets over the weekend after dropping 49% to reach $308.5m. That means the third entry in the Spider-Man spin-off franchise has overtaken the international lifetime total of Venom: Let There Be Carnage in 2021, which finished on $293.3m.

The latest Venom instalment starring Tom Hardy stands at $436.1m worldwide including $127.6m from North America, and still has a way to go to reach the $506.8m achieved by Let There Be Carnage.

China is the top market by a long way on $90.3m, followed by Mexico on $18.8m, the UK on $15.3m, Germany on $13.1m, South Korea on $12.1m, and France on $11.5m.

Sony Pictures International also reported that Walter Salles’s Brazilian Oscar submission I’m Still Here starring awards hopeful Fernanda Torres grew 33% in its second weekend in its home country, adding $2m for a $4.1m running total in Brazil. That number means the drama about a wife and mother who turns to activism during Brazil’s military regime in 1971 ranks as the third highest total for a local title in Brazil so far this year.

‘The Wild Robot’ passes $300m worldwide 

DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot directed by Chris Sanders and featuring a voice cast led by Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal added $10.3m through Universal Pictures International to propel the worldwide cumulative total to $308.5m.

The family title reached $10.1m in Spain after dropping a mere 23% for a $615,000 take in the sixth weekend. It has overtaken the final grosses of the first two How To Train Your Dragon films and is tracking ahead of Trolls, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, and The Bad Guys at the same stage.

A $506,000 UK haul following a 39% drop was enough to settle on $16.9m and see the film track well ahead of The Bad Guys at the same stage.

Mexico is the lead market on $19.9m after a $576,000 gross following a 40% drop, which Universal sources said was the best in the market. The box office run is on a par with Puss In Boots: The Last Wish at the same point, and has surpassed the lifetime grosses of Elemental, Frozen, Moana, Zootopia, Trolls, Migration, and both Sing films. The Wild Robot opens in Japan on February 7, 2025.