Rome Rises Again: Gladiator II slashes the box office and sets up a colossal summer of cinema

Gladiator II wrote $7.6 million at the Australian box office during its Wednesday to Sunday opening weekend. The film delivered over 326,000 admissions from Wednesday to Sunday last week, with a remarkable 82% of the total audience falling within the P18-54 demographic. It also opened particularly strongly for male audiences.

The opening also helped drive a strong overall weekend result with a +45% increase in admissions on the prior weekend, signalling strong momentum heading into summer.

After 24 years of eager anticipation, the sequel of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator finally hit Australian cinemas on Wednesday last week, officially marking the beginning of what’s set to be one of the most unforgettable summers of cinema.

The arrival of this long awaited film kicked off an epic season packed with major film releases, each set to draw audiences and dominate the box office well into the new year.

The film slashed through the global box office delivering a staggering $87 million across 63 markets, marking the biggest international opening of Ridley Scott’s career.

In Australia, the film earned $7.6 million over its Wednesday to Sunday opening weekend, securing the fifth-largest opening of 2024.

The film delivered over 326,000 admissions from Wednesday to Sunday last week, with a remarkable 82% of the total audience falling within the P18-54 demographic, proving the film’s broad appeal across generations. It also opened particularly strongly for male audiences, who accounted for 63% of this audience. This exceptional result drove a +45% increase in total weekend admissions compared to the prior week, signalling strong momentum heading into the summer holidays.

Says Guy Burbidge, Managing Director of Val Morgan Cinema: “Gladiator II is an exhilarating, action-packed cinematic masterpiece. From the start, we knew it had all the right elements for success—its broad appeal across generations, years of pent-up anticipation, and a story that would captivate audiences. And it has done just that.

“Gladiator II is the first of the big five that will release over the summer, and has well and truly set the foundation for what we’re expecting to be one of the biggest summers yet. We’re confident the film will continue to draw strong audiences throughout its run, well into the December holidays and beyond, and will no doubt resonate in the cultural conversation for years to come,” added Burbidge.

As the summer of cinema continues to unfold, the next wave of highly anticipated blockbuster releases—including Wicked, Moana 2, Mufasa: The Lion King, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3—will all hit cinemas by Boxing Day. The momentum will continue into the new year with other big titles like Paddington in Peru, We Live in Time, Captain America: Brave New World, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Sinners and the live-action adaptation Snow White all releasing between January to March.”

Source: CineTAM 2024