Gladiator II opens 16 years after the events of the blockbuster 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, which grossed $465 million at the worldwide box office and won five Academy Awards, including a Best Actor win for Russell Crowe’s iconic titular performance as Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius and Best Picture.

Universal’s Wicked achieved strong domestic box office success, setting records as the largest 2024 opening for a non-sequel film. It also reached key milestones for a Broadway musical adaptation. The film performed well globally,