Ridley Scott's $462M Historical Epic Officially Lands on Netflix

Are we still entertained? That was the question Ridley Scott posed us and, in typical Scott fashion, he probably didn't actually care about the answer. But while he'd given us some of the most entertaining movies of the 21st century in just the first year of it, it took him nearly 25 years to come back to Ancient Rome. He had some big sandals to fill, but it also had the bonus of bringing us The Equalizer in robes and fabulous gold jewelry. That's a sentence you never thought you'd read, and yet you have to admit, you want to know more, don't you? Read on, and you'll find out why that's such an enthralling prospect.

Gladiator II has officially arrived on Netflix in the United States, joining the original Gladiator on the streaming service as of October 21, 2026. The historical sequel, which earned $462.2 million worldwide, stars Paul Mescal as Lucius, the son of Russell Crowe's Maximus and Lucilla, who finds himself following in his father's footsteps after losing everything to Rome's expanding empire.

The cast is led by Mescal (Aftersun) as Lucius Verus, Denzel Washington (Training Day) as Macrinus, Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) as General Acacius and Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman) as Lucilla. They are joined by Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) as Emperor Geta, Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus) as Emperor Caracalla, Derek Jacobi (I, Claudius) as Senator Gracchus and Lior Raz (Fauda) as Viggo.

Was 'Gladiator II' a Success?

The sequel arrived in theaters in November 2024 and went on to earn $172.4 million domestically and $289.7 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to $462.2 million. That's remarkably close to the original Gladiator, which earned approximately $465 million worldwide back in 2000, although the sequel came with a considerably larger production budget. Still, it was enough to make it a big success, all things considered.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Gladiator II holds a 70% critics' score from 408 reviews, alongside an 80% audience score from more than 10,000 verified ratings. The awards circuit was nowhere near as kind to this one as its predecessor either, although it still gave several impressive spectacles, big ol' war rhinos, and Washington's devious and scheming performance to content audiences.

Gladiator II is streaming now on Netflix in the United States.