Gladiator II’s box office officially breaks an all-time Denzel Washington movie career record, as the film continues its successful run in theaters. Across his decades-long film career,Washington’s best action movieshave seen him in a variety of different roles, many of which have been theatrically successful. This includes hisThe Equalizerfranchise, each of which has grossed in the neighborhood of $190 million worldwide per movie.Even some of his less critically praised movies have succeeded, such as 2012’sSafe House, which, despite a 52% on Rotten Tomatoes, grossed $208.1 million against an $85 million budget.
Alongside his more violent, recognizable movies likeThe Equalizertrilogy, he’s also started taking on roles as cunning craftsmen vying for power.One of his most memorable was in 2021’sThe Tragedy of MacBeth, where he portrayed the titular character, documenting his tragic rise to power. His performance earned him Best Actor nominations from the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes. However, another, similar type of role has resulted in a new record for his career, breaking an all-time record 17 years later.
Gladiator 2 Helped Denzel Washington Break A Career Record
The Movie Beat Out Another Ridley Scott Film
Washington portrays Macrinusin thecast ofGladiator II, a former slave and current gladiator trainer with secret plans to control the Roman Empire. He ends up using Lucius (Paul Mescal) as part of these plans, which results in many twists and turns throughout the story. Many positive reviews for the movie have praised his performance, citing his character a standout in the story. This marks the actors' first time in a Ridley Scott-directed movie since 2007’sAmerican Gangster, which became the actors' highest-grossing movie of all time.
What Happened To Denzel Washington’s Macrinus In Real Life & How Gladiator 2 Compares
Denzel Washington’s villainous yet charismatic character Macrinus is based on a real historical figure, although there are several key differences.
Now,The Numbershas confirmedGladiator IIis Washington’s highest-grossing film of all time worldwide, having made $320.2 million at the time of writing. This beats outAmerican Gangster’s $267.9 million gross, making the actors' most financially successful releases movies directed by Scott. However, his 2007 movie still maintains the highest gross domestically at $130.1 million, something that could be beaten out by his newest movie, given its $111.4 million domestic gross as of writing.
Washington starred inAmerican Gangsteralongside Russell Crowe, who starred in the originalGladiatorin 2000.
Our Take On Gladiator 2 Becoming Washington’s Most Successful Movie
It’s Unsurprising Given The Legacy Sequel’s Popularity
We’re not shocked to learnGladiator II’s box office success has pushed it to become Washington’s highest-grossing film of all time. The movie is a highly-anticipated legacy sequel to Scott’s 2000 original, coupled with other recognizable faces like Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Connie Nielsen to name a few. Macrinus is also a focal character because of his schemes, making him an integral part of the movie’s success. With the film only having two weekends in theaters so far, his new record box office is sure to skyrocket before the year ends.
Gladiator II
Cast
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
