Denzel Washington & Ridley Scott's Historical Epic Enters A New Era, & It Can Shape The Future

Published Oct 21, 2026, 10:01 AM EDT

Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release.

He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years.

Denzel Washington and Ridley Scott first teamed up in 2007 for the crime epic American Gangster, but nearly 20 years later, their reunion has started a pivotal new era. The actor and director failed to reconnect for years before finally agreeing to join forces with 2024's Gladiator II, with Washington joining the sequel as the villain, Macrinus.

Serving as a sequel to Scott's iconic 2000 historical action epic, Gladiator II turned the focus away from Russell Crowe's Maximus, with Paul Mescal bringing his son, Lucius, to life in a starring role. The movie came out in November 2024 with high expectations given the acclaim of the original, the star-studded cast around Mescal and Washington, and Scott's ability to still deliver masterpiece epics from time to time.

Gladiator II proved to be a bit of a mixed bag in many regards when it did hit theaters. Reviews were mostly positive, but not quite as celebratory as the original. The sequel opened bigger at the box office, but it finished below the original, $462.1 million versus $465.5 million (not adjusting for inflation). It was viewed as an underperformance for a $210 million production.

The movie has been out of theaters for well over a year now, since finding success on Paramount+ and Netflix throughout 2025 and 2026. But now, Gladiator and Gladiator II have moved back to Netflix today, October 21, 2026, starting a new era for their streaming journey, which could be just what this franchise needs to continue on.

Gladiator II Has A History Of Success On Netflix

Gladiator II coming to Netflix again is notable because of the franchise's history on the streamer. This is the third time that the sequel has become available to Netflix's large subscriber pool, while the original has been featured on the platform even more times.

In Gladiator II's case, subscribers have consistently shown an interest in checking it out once it comes to Netflix. Its debut in August 2025 led to the sequel earning 21 million hours watched in its first week. It was watched for another 10.7 million hours the following week.

The sequel fought its way back into Netflix's top 10 movies chart in May 2026, where it got 7.3 million hours of viewership. That gives Gladiator II nearly 40 million hours watched on Netflix over the last year in three weeks in the top 10.

Its full performance is much greater, with What's On Netflix giving Gladiator II 98.9 million hours watched based on Netflix's semi-annual engagement reports for H2 of 2025 and H1 of 2026. To put that into perspective, from the start of 2023 to June 2026, Gladiator sits at 38.1 million hours watched on Netflix.

The Gladiator Franchise's Success On Netflix Could Help Gladiator 3 Get Made

©DreamWorks/Courtesy Everett Collection

Now that Gladiator and Gladiator II are streaming again on Netflix, more success is sure to come, especially for the latter. The sequel is newer and still less seen than the original, which sparks increased interest when it comes to a new streaming home.

That is great for Scott's historical franchise, as the director has ambitions to make Gladiator 3. He confirmed after the sequel's release that he was already working on ideas for the next chapter in this story. No specific details about the third film have come to light, nor does it have a greenlight from Paramount and Skydance's new leadership. It's unlikely Lucius' story continues without a recast after Scott and Mescal's falling out.

There is a greater chance that this changes with every instance of Gladiator II and its predecessor finding success on streaming. Whether it happens on Netflix or Paramount+, the continued resurgence that these movies experience is a sign of their popularity and audiences' interest in this world. So, the more instances of Scott's films popping up on streaming charts, the better the odds are that audiences could see Gladiator 3 one day.