Ridley Scott’s 71% Rotten Tomatoes Legacy Sequel Just Defeated the Original in Another Key Way

After premiering just before Thanksgiving last year, Gladiator 2 was one of the biggest movies of the year, earning over $450 million at the worldwide box office to narrowly pass the original, although not as much as Paramount executives were likely hoping for. After debuting on digital platforms around Christmas and seeing a dual run in theaters and on VOD, Gladiator 2 finally hit streaming last week, and to no one’s surprise, the film has been an instant hit. Gladiator 2 currently occupies the #1 spot on Paramount+ at the time of writing, even edging out the original Gladiator which sits at #3 at the time of writing. Gladiator 2 earned scores of 71% from critics and 82% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, lower than the original but still respectable.

Original Gladiator director Ridley Scott also returned to helm the sequel, with Peter Craig and David Scarpa penning the script for David Franzoni receiving writing credit as well for his work on the original Gladiator. Scott has been making blockbuster movies for the better part of 50 years now; one of his earliest works is also his most famous. In 1977, Scott directed Alien, the hit sci-fi horror thriller that was such a hit that the franchise is still going to this day. Scott is also known for his work on Blade Runner, the 1982 sci-fi film starring Harrison Ford, but he passed directorial duties off to Denis Villeneuve for the sequel, Blade Runner 2049, which also brought Ryan Gosling into the cast. Scott is also famous for his work on The Martian, the 2015 sci-fi thriller starring Matt Damon that’s based on the novel by Andy Weir.

What Else Is Popular To Watch on Paramount+?

If you’ve watched both Gladiator movies on Paramount+ but are still looking for something else to dive into, look no further than Top Gun: Maverick, the 2022 smash hit aerial action film starring Tom Cruise that earned over $1 billion at the worldwide box office and was an international sensation. Mel Gibson‘s Braveheart, which won him Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director, is also one of the more popular movies on Paramount+, along with Transformers One, the animated Transformers flick starring Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson that was released last year.

Gladiator 2 stars Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington and was directed by Ridley Scott. Stay tuned to Collider for future streaming updates and watch Gladiator 2 on Paramount+.

Gladiator II

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Runtime

148 minutes

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WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+