Russell Crowe Reveals Gladiator 2’s Biggest Mistake

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In 2000, director Ridley Scott revitalized the historical epic genre with . The film was a huge hit with both critics and audiences, earning multiple Academy Awards and cementing its place among the best movies ever made.

Given Hollywood’s fondness for sequels and reboots, a follow-up to the film Gladiator was released in 2024. While Gladiator II received generally good reviews, it didn’t become a massive cultural hit and didn’t perform well in theaters. Russell Crowe, the star of the original film, recently shared what he believes was the biggest issue with Gladiator II in an interview with Triple J, an Australian radio station.

As a huge film buff, I remember being thrilled when Russell Crowe won the Oscar for his performance as Maximus in ‘Gladiator,’ and the movie itself rightfully took home Best Picture! But the sequel… well, it just didn’t have the same magic. It only received one Oscar nomination, and honestly, it never reached the iconic status of the original. I recently read that Crowe felt the sequel’s biggest problem was that it lost the strong moral compass that defined his character in the first film, and you know what? I think he’s right.

The actor, without mentioning Gladiator II by name, clearly meant the new historical film. He said it’s a disappointing example of those involved not appreciating what made the original movie so good.

He explained that it wasn’t about the showiness, the details, or even what happened – it was about the fundamental principles at stake.

The actor also revealed that making the first film wasn’t easy. He even had to convince the filmmakers not to include sex scenes for his character, Maximus. He explained, ‘There were arguments every single day on set, all focused on protecting the character’s integrity.’

He remembered being frustrated with how often suggestions were made to include sex scenes involving Maximus, feeling it diminished his character’s strength. He questioned the idea of portraying Maximus as having an affair while still being devoted to his wife, calling the concept illogical and excessive.

Gladiator II Failed to Replicate the Success of the Original

These days, movie studios are relying heavily on familiar titles and hoping sequels will perform as well as, or even better than, the originals. Disney has seen success with animated follow-ups like Inside Out 2 and Moana 2, but this trend hasn’t consistently translated to live-action films.

Released in 2000, the film grossed $451.6 million worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing movie of the year, after Mission: Impossible 2. Critics gave it a “Certified Fresh” rating with an 80% approval score, while audiences rated it even higher at 87%.

Despite positive reviews – critics gave it a ‘Certified Fresh’ score of 70%, and audiences liked it even more at 81% – Gladiator II wasn’t a box office success. With a budget of $250 million, the film only earned $460.3 million worldwide and didn’t break even. Despite this, director Ridley Scott has hinted that work on a potential next installment has already begun.

Gladiator II is streaming on Paramount+.

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2025-12-09 21:13