While fans around the world await the streaming release of Russell Crowe’s new WWII movie, the most famous feature of his career is tanking on streaming, overshadowed by a controversial sequel. In 2000, Crowe starred opposite Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) in Gladiator, an epic historical saga about a former Roman general who seeks revenge against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sold him into slavery. In the U.S., Gladiator is streaming on both Paramount+ and Starz, but globally, the film remains in the VOD top 10 in a few countries, including Ghana and Azerbaijan.
Gladiator is widely viewed as one of, if not the best, movies of Russell Crowe’s career, but this isn’t reflected in its Rotten Tomatoes score. The film earned scores of 80% from critics and 87% from audiences on the aggregator site, which is solid, but nowhere near as high as you’d think considering how people talk about the movie. Still, Gladiator was a massive financial success despite its $100 million budget. The film grossed $465 million at the box office, more than doubling its break-even point. Crowe famously got into it on set with Phoenix during the making of Gladiator, calling his behavior “unprofessional.”
Ridley Scott directed Gladiator, and he returned to the world he created over 20 years later with Gladiator II. Russell Crowe’s Maximus did not return in the legacy sequel, and he’s not been shy about publicly criticizing the film. Ridley Scott pushed back against complaints about Crowe being left out of the film by citing his character’s death, but fans wanted to see Maximus have more of an impact on his son and the overall story.
When Does the Next ‘Gladiator’ Movie Come Out?
Another Gladiator movie is far from a certainty after the underwhelming box office performance of Gladiator II. Paramount spent well over $200 million on the making of Gladiator II, and the film grossed less than the original at the box office. Ridley Scott has confirmed plans for another Gladiator movie, but the studio may not be willing to greenlight it unless he can produce it at a much lower cost. Scott has another movie coming to theaters this summer, The Dog Stars, which stars Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin.
Be sure to check out Gladiator on Paramount+ or Starz in America and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.
- Release Date
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May 5, 2000
- Runtime
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155 minutes
