Summary
-
Napoleon
’s narrative shortcomings led to lackluster audience engagement and box office woes, proving missteps Scott can’t repeat in
Gladiator 2
. - With a ballooning budget for
Gladiator 2
, the film must see significant numbers at the box office to break even and prove its success. - Despite past failures with
Napoleon
, there is hope that
Gladiator 2
, boasting top actors and epic potential, will be Scott’s triumphant return.
Ridley Scott is no stranger to big-budget blockbusters, which means he’s well aware of the risks involved with making such epic films, particularly when it comes to a production’s budget. His most recent saga, Napoleon, hit theaters last year and failed to capture the spark so many were hoping for. Its narrative left viewers apathetic regarding the outcome of its characters, which was ultimately reflected in the movie’s box office returns. As Scott’s upcoming film, Gladiator 2, wraps filming and enters its next phase, it’s clear the movie can’t afford to make the same kind of mistakes with a second box office blunder.
Gladiator 2 is Scott’s next epic historical drama, and the film is slated to hit theaters in November 2024. Set fifteen years after its predecessor, the movie stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Joseph Quinn, to name a few. While fans of the original 2000 blockbuster, Gladiator, are excited about the upcoming sequel, others remain hesitant for numerous reasons. Given the recent mistakes Ridley encountered with last year’s Napoleon, audiences are concerned the forthcoming film might ultimately fall short of expectations and face the same issues. Its massive budget might overshadow its narrative efforts and offer a hollow film that fails to capture the admiration of its audience, just as Napoleon did.
The Problem With Napoleon’s Narrative and Character Development
Napoleon
- Release Date
- November 22, 2023
- Runtime
- 2hr 38min
Given the scale of Napoleon, its narrative and character development should have matched such a scope. Unfortunately, many audiences and critics found it difficult to care about any characters strewn throughout the film. While there’s no denying the action and the acting in the movie were great, the overall narrative of such a rich historical figure ultimately felt hollow, was filled with historical inaccuracies, and lacked the necessary depth to tell such a story. Despite its lengthy runtime and massive budget, the film tried to explore too much, which inevitably failed to create a complete picture of the man at the heart of the film.
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Napoleon’s Budget and Box Office Return
With a budget of $200 million, the Apple Original, Napoleon, had to gross around $500 million worldwide to break even. However, it only managed to nab $220.7 million globally, which fell wildly short of expectations and ultimately solidified the film as a box office flop. Of course, this could be considered a costly advertisement and investment for Apple TV+, driving new subscribers to the service and hoping to retain the new customers for months or years.
Furthermore, because the film also garnered fairly negative reviews, its poor box office performance harms the overall perception of the film as a failure. If a movie can’t deliver at the box office but manages to blow away audiences and critics, it’s more likely to eventually gain traction somewhere along the line. However, Napoleon isn’t one of those films, which could mean trouble for Scott’s upcoming project.
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Gladiator 2’s Budget and Box Office Hopes
The budget for the second installment of Gladiator began at $165 million. However, reports indicate by the time filming wrapped in January 2024, the budget had reached $310 million. It should be noted that Paramount has claimed the film’s net cost never exceeded $250 million. Nonetheless, an increase in a movie’s budget after the fact could indicate possible failure on the horizon. While that isn’t always the case, conflicting reports of the film’s budget may be worrisome.
Given how much the budget has ballooned, Gladiator 2 would need to score big at the box office to be considered a successful venture. As it stands now, with a budget of roughly $250 – $300 million, the film would need to make a whopping $700 – $800 million just to break even. As such, studios likely expect the movie to gross over $1 billion globally. While such a feat is possible, it’s quite a tall order considering how Scott’s most recent film fared at the box office. However, Gladiator 2 has much more working in its favor and reportedly left studio execs “blown away.” It’s a sequel to an enormously popular and award-winning movie, including some of the most popular actors currently in the industry. Because of this, the film could ensure a wide variety of people make their way to the theater when it’s released later this year.
Despite the possibility of a potential blunder, fans are hopeful Gladiator 2 will deliver on all fronts and avoid the mistakes Napoleon made. With a substantial budget and a slew of top-notch actors, the film is primed for something epic. However, the same was said of Napoleon. Nonetheless, fans remain cautiously optimistic about the follow-up to 2001’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture. Scott has all the puzzle pieces. He needs to ensure they’re all in the right places.
Gladiator is currently streaming on Paramount+, and Napoleon is currently streaming on Apple TV+. Gladiator 2 is scheduled to hit theaters Nov. 22, 2024.
