Gladiator II Arrives on Netflix, Becomes Platform's Top Film

Gladiator II, the sequel to Ridley Scott's 2000 historical epic Gladiator, became available to stream on Netflix on October 21, 2026, according to MovieWeb and Slash Film. The original Gladiator, which won five Academy Awards including Best Picture, was added to the service on the same date, according to Yahoo Entertainment.

The 148-minute sequel reached the #1 spot on Netflix's US movie chart within two days of its release, displacing Ben Affleck's thriller "Animals," MovieWeb and Slash Film both reported.

Cast and Plot

Paul Mescal stars as Lucius, described by Yahoo Entertainment as the son of Maximus, the character played by Russell Crowe in the original film. The sequel is set nearly 20 years after the events of Gladiator and follows Lucius confronting what Yahoo described as a tyrannical regime.

Pedro Pascal co-stars as Marcus Acacius, per MovieWeb, while Denzel Washington plays the antagonist Macrinus, according to Slash Film. Ridley Scott directed both films; the Gladiator II screenplay credit was not specified in the sources reviewed.

Box Office and Reception

Gladiator II was released in US theaters on November 22, 2024, after opening earlier in some international markets, including France on November 6, 2024, according to Box Office Mojo. The film grossed $462,180,717 worldwide, split between $172,438,016 domestically and $289,742,701 internationally, Box Office Mojo's figures show.

The original Gladiator grossed over $465 million worldwide following its 2000 release, according to Yahoo Entertainment.

Audience reaction to the sequel, as measured by CinemaScore, was a "B" grade, compared with an "A" for the original film, Slash Film reported. MovieWeb noted that critics and audiences generally felt the sequel did not match the quality of the first film, and cited actor Russell Crowe criticizing the sequel for what he called a "lack of a moral core."

Slash Film also reported that filmmaker Christopher Nolan called Gladiator II "the best movie of that year," despite its uneven awards-season performance; Denzel Washington was considered a strong early contender for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination but was ultimately not nominated, per the same report.

Background: The Original Gladiator

Gladiator (2000) follows Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius, played by Russell Crowe, as he rises through the gladiatorial ranks to avenge his family, according to Yahoo Entertainment. Joaquin Phoenix co-starred in the original. The film was nominated in 12 Academy Award categories and won five, including Best Picture, Yahoo reported. The screenplay was credited to David Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson.

Yahoo Entertainment noted the original film's commercial and cultural impact helped revive the historical epic genre, citing later films such as Troy, 300 and Alexander as part of that wave.

What's Next

MovieWeb reported that Ridley Scott had teased a possible Gladiator III before the sequel's 2024 release but has not publicly discussed it since, with the outlet suggesting that Paramount may be hesitant to greenlight a third installment after Scott's science-fiction film "The Dog Stars" underperformed financially. Yahoo Entertainment, by contrast, reported that Scott has begun work on a Gladiator III script and that Paul Mescal has expressed interest in returning for a sequel. The two accounts of the project's status differ, and no studio confirmation of a third film was found in the sources reviewed.