‘You can see the money on screen’: why Hollywood is betting on Gladiator II not being another Folie à Deux
From the 1:1 scale Colosseum to the marauding model rhino, Ridley Scott’s forthcoming sequel screams conspicuous spending – but how bullish is Hollywood feeling, and what do we know about the film so far?
An actual-scale model of the Colosseum, flooded and filled with longboats. A two-tonne, eight-wheeled, lifesize rhino that can spin, snarl, wag its head and do 40mph. And as much minced beef, sweet potato and personal training as Paul Mescal can stomach. Such were some of the huge costs involved in the production of Gladiator II, which comes to cinemas next month, 24 years after Ridley Scott’s blockbusting original.
Such conspicuous spending might be assumed to be making studio executives sweat, but Hollywood is banking on the film being a commercial success – particularly given the calamitous box office returns for another recent sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, Todd Phillip’s follow-up to his $1bn 2019 hit, now fast-tracked to streaming and projected to lose $200m.
Continue reading...Date: |
Topics
-
World - The Guardian
Daring or dire? Guardian readers on Joker: Folie à Deux
Todd Phillips’ superhero sequel might have been a box-office flop, but some readers see a lot to cherish in the performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. I thought that this was a daring, ...4 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
Joker: Folie à Deux flops further in second week at US box office after lacklustre opening
Panned sequel to Oscar-winning hit makes just $7m domestically in second weekend, an 81% drop that places it among the steepest ever recorded. Joker: Folie à Deux is continuing its downward ...4 days ago -
Top stories - NBC News
'Terrifier 3' tops box office with $18M debut, 'Joker: Folie à Deux' collapses with 81% drop
There’s only room for one killer clown at the top of box office charts.4 days ago -
Tech - GameSpot
Joker: Folie à Deux Drops 81% In Second Weekend At The U.S. Box Office
Before the month of October, if anyone had predicted that Joker: Folie à Deux would fall from No. 1 after only a single weekend to another killer clown movie then it would have been easy to ...3 days ago -
Tech - Wired
You Can Now See the Code That Helped End Apartheid
John Graham-Cumming, who happens to be Cloudflare's CTO, cracked a 30-year-old encrypted file that had a role in rewriting South Africa’s history.7 hours ago -
Top stories - NBC News
Being Gronk: How this actor and stunt double plays the NFL legend on screen
Laith Wallschleger looked like a mess.11 hours ago - NFL
More from The Guardian
-
World - The Guardian
Israel continues to bomb Gaza as hopes fade of Hamas leader’s death ending war
More than 60 deaths recorded in territory in past day as Israel launches more airstrikes and sends in more troops. Middle East crisis – live updates Israel has launched new airstrikes and sent ...3 hours ago - Israel -
World - The Guardian
Philippines vice-president: I’ll dig up president’s father and throw him in sea
Sara Duterte makes threat against remains of Ferdinand Marcos’s dictator father in searing verbal attack. The Philippine vice-president, Sara Duterte, has threatened to dig up the remains of ...5 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
Kamala Harris at Michigan rally assails Trump for being too ‘exhausted’ for interviews – US politics live
Vice-president suggests Trump is not up to job of president – because he is ‘ducking debates and canceling interviews’. Don’t miss important US election news. Get our free app and sign up for ...26 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
World - The Guardian
North Korean troops have arrived in Russia to fight Ukraine, says Seoul
Russian navy ships reportedly transferred 1,500 forces to Vladivostok, where they are being trained. South Korea’s intelligence agency said on Friday that North Korea had dispatched troops to ...3 hours ago - Ukraine -
World - The Guardian
Cuba in complete blackout after national electrical power grid fails
Most businesses were closed on Friday as officials blamed deteriorating infrastructure and fuel shortages for failure. Cuba’s entire national electrical grid has shut down after one of the island’s ...1 hour ago