Say goodbye to the theater and wave hello to the world of streaming!
Gladiator II has ended its theatrical run and will build a new empire at Paramount+. It will join the streaming service’s growing list of recent releases, including Smile II and A Quiet Place: Day One.
Starring Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington, the sequel to the Russell Crowe-led box office hit follows Commodus’ sister Lucilla’s son, Lucius Verus, who returns to Rome after the empire’s forces conqueror his home. Upon his return, he must fight in the Colosseum to fight for his life, confront the empire’s leadership, reconnect with his mother and start a new life. It has earned more than $450 million worldwide and received fairly positive reviews from critics.
“It’s at the very least transporting and highly watchable despite its flaws, the mark of a director who’s spent the last decade content to churn out movies that you don’t regret seeing, but probably won’t be compelled to see again,” John Serba of Decider wrote.
“That’s a lot of movie, right there. But Scott manages to keep the overstuffed narrative humming along between volleys of shock-and-awe bombast… Are you not entertained? I was. And you will be too. Just not as much as the first time around,” Chris Nashawaty adds.
Subscribers of Paramount+ can watch Gladiator II and provide a personal review when it hits Paramount+ on Tuesday, January 21.
