Yahoo Movies Gladiator 2 sets new record with huge box-office opening
Ridley Scott's Gladiator II has set a new record with its huge box-office opening.
The highly-awaited sequel has opened at number one at the global box-office this weekend, according to Comscore's senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
Grossing $87 million across 63 markets, Gladiator II has become Paramount Pictures' biggest international opening for an R-Rated movie, as well as the biggest international opening for a Ridley Scott movie.
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Set 20 years after the death of Maximus (Russell Crowe), Gladiator II is sees the return of a now grown-up Lucius Verus, who viewers were first introduced to in the original Gladiator (2000) movie.
With his home destroyed by the Roman Empire, Lucius becomes a gladiator and seeks revenge, while also dealing with his secret royal identity.
Gladiator II features an impressive cast, including Paul Mescal (Lucius), Pedro Pascal (Acacius), Denzel Washington (Macrinus), Connie Nielsen (Lucilla), Fred Hechinger (Emperor Caracalla) and Joseph Quinn (Emperor Geta).
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In its 3-star review of the sequel, Digital Spy wrote: "Paul Mescal's Lucius doesn't possess the gravitas of Maximus, and his hero's journey from spoiled child of the empire to political refugee to angry gladiator fails to feel truly compelling. No amount of fridging can change that.
"There is also not a single scene even comparable to the magnitude of Gladiator's 'My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius', and that feels like a symptom of the inability of this sequel to create new unforgettable moments for the saga."
The movie currently holds a 75% critics' score at Rotten Tomatoes, just slightly lower than its predecessor's 79%.
Gladiator II is out now in UK cinemas and is released in US cinemas on November 22.
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