Netflix is adding one of the most celebrated epics ever made to its movie library. The film, which stars Russell Crowe, joins the streamer on Oct. 21. Its sequel arrives the same day. Netflix lists the film in its October lineup on Tudum. It’s Gladiator, Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic, and it arrives on Oct. 21 alongside its 2024 sequel, Gladiator II.
Crowe plays Maximus, a Roman general betrayed by the emperor’s son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). After his family is murdered, Maximus is sold into slavery and fights his way through the arena to get revenge. The film left Hulu on Oct. 1.
Empire ranks Gladiator No. 26 on its list of the 100 best movies of all time. More than 1,000 readers voted, and the magazine’s critics settled any ties. It’s also Empire’s first major update of the list in almost five years. The magazine says Gladiator showed the industry that “colossal historical epics” could make money again.
On IMDb, the film ranks No. 32 among the site’s top-rated movies, with an 8. 5 out of 10 from more than 1. 9 million users. Gladiator won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe. It earned about $465. 5 million worldwide on an estimated $103 million budget.
Crowe discussed the film at the Taormina Film Festival in June. He said he stuck to his guns when the studio wanted sex scenes between Maximus and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). He also said the sequel failed because it lacked a “moral core”. According to Crowe, more women than men turned out for the original, which he takes as a sign that the story was never just about revenge.
The shoot itself was messy. In a 2015 interview, Crowe told Yahoo Entertainment that filming began “without a completed script,” and that many scenes were decided the day before they were shot.
Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal as Lucius and opened in theaters in November 2024. Both films stream on Netflix starting Oct. 21.
