Gladiator 2’s whopping budget makes it one of the most expensive movies ever | Films | Entertainment

A quarter of a century on from when the original film stormed the Oscars and Gladiator 2 is currently in post-production. 

Rising star and Academy Award nominee Paul Mescal plays a grown-up Lucius in the highly anticipated historical epic.

Early reports claim studio executives were “blown away” by the footage, but the upcoming blockbuster has not been short of problems.

Back in June, a stunt went wrong with four crewmembers being rushed to hospital with non-life-threatening burns.

A month later, PETA sent an open letter to director Sir Ridley Scott with “whistleblower” complaints of horses and monkeys being abused on set.

The Hollywood Reporter’s production sources deny this pointing out that the Humane Society was on set during the shoot. Nevertheless, last year’s Hollywood strike halted production on Gladiator 2 that month, reportedly costing $10 million before Scott resumed filming in December.

The blockbuster’s 49 day shoot had originally been budgeted at $165 million before rising to a reported $310 million. This would put the film in the Top 10 most expensive movies ever made, just behind Avengers: Infinity War on $325 million. 

However, Paramount insiders claim the shoot cost less than $250 million, but that’s still the director’s most expensive film ever, ahead of Robin Hood’s $210 million and Napoleon’s $200 million.

One source said of Gladiator 2’s ballooning budget, “It’s a runaway. It’s not being managed” and that studio executives are “terribly vexed” over how on earth the movie will turn a profit. 

According to Screen Rant, for this to happen Gladiator 2 would have to make more than Scott’s biggest hit The Martian, which made $653 million worldwide. 

Gladiator 2 hits cinemas on November 22, 2024.