Twenty-four years after Best Picture Oscar winner Gladiator reinvented the swords and sandals genre, its sequel, Gladiator II , is finally entering the arena. Paramount began overseas rollout Wednesday on the continuation of Ridley Scott ’s Roman Empire action saga. Through Friday, 63 international box office markets will be open — the full offshore footprint, save for China which goes in step with domestic on November 22.
The Paul Mescal , Pedro Pascal , Denzel Washington and Connie Nielsen -starrer is eyeing an international debut in the $80M-$90M range with the possibility of upside. This one is tricky to comp since the original was so long ago when the world was a vastly different place. We are currently in a wonky moviegoing climate and older audiences may not rush out; however, reviews are strong and buzz is high.
We hear previews that played in France earlier this week went down a treat, and Wednesday’s start led play in the market. G2 was also tops in Korea in its Wednesday previews. The filmmakers and cast have been on a global tour spanning seven countries across four continents.
The international portion of the tour kicked off with Mescal and Washington appearing on The Graham Norton Show in the UK while a three-day global junket included Mescal, Washington, Pascal, Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger and Scott speaking with outlets from over 30 countries, and included a special Korean press conference. Mescal, Nielsen and Hechinger, along with producer Mic.
