Twenty-four years after the Oscar-winning original, ‘Gladiator II’ is set to make its long-awaited debut this November. Paul Mescal stars as a grown-up Lucius, nephew of the fallen Emperor Commodus. The sequel continues the saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance in Ancient Rome, introducing a host of new characters and adding fresh layers to the story.
The film features a blend of familiar faces and new talent. Paul Mescal (known for the TV series ‘Normal People’) takes on the central role of Lucius along with other new joiners Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal. Returning cast members include Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi.
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Yes! Ridley Scott returns to direct ‘Gladiator II’, produced by Scott Free. The film reunites several key members of the original production team, including cinematographer John Mathieson, production designer Arthur Max, and costume designer Janty Yates. Scott himself has called the film “one of the best things I’ve ever made.”
‘Gladiator II’ is poised to become one of 2024’s biggest blockbusters, with expectations high for it to break up to ten box office records, according to Screen Rant. The budget has increased from US$165 million to US$310 million, making it one of the most expensive films ever made.
Scott hints at an epic opening sequence, potentially his grandest action scene yet.
The first official trailer for ‘Gladiator II’ has made a massive impact, garnering 128 million views across social media platforms in just 24 hours. This more than doubles the 75 million views achieved by the “Top Gun: Maverick” trailer, highlighting the immense excitement surrounding the sequel.
The original ‘Gladiator’ set a high bar, earning 12 Academy Award nominations and winning five, including Best Picture. It grossed US$503.1 million against a US$103 million budget. ‘Gladiator II’ is expected to continue this legacy, making a significant impact at the box office and potentially breaking multiple records.
This highly anticipated blockbuster provides a valuable platform for brands to connect with both long-time fans and new movie enthusiasts who appreciate epic storytelling and high-quality cinema. The film is expected to resonate particularly well with affluent male audiences.
Contact us to explore advertising opportunities alongside this monumental release.
Prepare for battle— in cinemas November 14, 2024.
Source: Valmorgan, Entertainment Weekly, Screen Rant, Deadline
2.0 – the sequel to Enthiran (2010), will unite the best of talent from Kollywood and Bollywood – Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar. The movie is set to release in cinemas (worldwide) on 29th November and will undoubtedly be one of the biggest Indian language movie releases of 2018.
Trivia:
Both Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar have a devoted fan base across the region, with their movies being well received.
Here’s a look at movie successes starring Rajinikanth:
Kaala (2018)
Kaala was released (worldwide) on 7th June 2018 in three languages – Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. In the UAE, the film earned AED 3,403,631.
Kabali (2016)
There was a different kind of hysteria among Rajinikanth fans as Kabali was the first movie in which the action hero played a role of his own age.
In the GCC, over 200 theatres (including 100 screens in the UAE) screened the movie, and advance online bookings received overwhelming responses with many sessions running house full. According to a local distributor, there were approximately 151,000 tickets sold for in the first two days of release across the UAE.
The film had earned US$11.20 million in its first four-day weekend overseas, breaking the record previously held by Dhoom 3 (US$10.32 million) as the highest-grossing first weekend for an Indian film in overseas markets. According to International Business Times in May 2017, the film’s final overseas gross was US$15.65 million.
Enthiran (2010)
As of January 2018, Enthiran is the fourth-highest-grossing South Indian film of all time after S. S. Rajamouli’s two-part historical fiction films Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) and Baahubali: The Beginning (2015).
According to a February 2015 report by Hindustan Times, the film has grossed approximately US$34.8 million (worldwide) in its lifetime.
Below are UAE statistics for movies featuring Akshay Kumar:
Brothers (2015) – screened for 4 weeks and did approximately 130,500 admissions
Rustom and Airlift (2016) grossed a total of AED 6,565,596 and 4,408,681 respectively
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) – screened for 3 weeks and did approximately 103,200 admissions
Jolly LLB 2 (2017) – screened for 5 weeks and did approximately 114,000 admissions
Padman (2018) – grossed a total of AED 3,162,845
Based on the success of previous Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar movies (as indicated above) and the fact that Indian language movie fans (in this region) are not restricted to the expat population from the subcontinent, 2.0 is guaranteed to usher in large cinema audiences.
Don’t miss out on advertising alongside one of the biggest Indian language movies of 2018.
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities across the GCC.
Sources: YouTube, First Post, Wikipedia, The National and Gulf News
