As a longtime admirer of Denzel Washington‘s remarkable career, I must say that the release of “Gladiator II” has truly left me astounded! This man has graced our screens with his unparalleled talent for over four decades, and yet it took until 2024 for a film of his to open to such a staggering sum on its opening weekend. It’s like finding a priceless treasure hidden in plain sight all this time!
For the very first time ever, a film starring Denzel Washington, renowned for his acting skills, managed to earn over $50 million in North America during its initial release this weekend. Unlike most of Washington’s previous works, which are geared towards adult audiences and generate more revenue over an extended period compared to movies like typical superhero or young-adult films on their opening weekends, a movie such as Remember the Titans could open with $20.9 million but still accumulate a domestic total of $115.7 million over a longer span of time. The estimated domestic debut of $55.5 million for Gladiator II was sufficient to finally provide Washington with an opening weekend box office figure as impressive as his well-deserved reputation.
In just ten days of worldwide screenings, “Gladiator II” is poised to surpass all other films in Washington’s career in terms of box office success, making it his biggest movie ever. This means it will unseat a film that has held the title of Washington’s highest-grossing movie for over 17 years – “American Gangster”, which was also released in November of 2007.
How Much Money Did American Gangster Make?
On November 2, 2007, the movie American Gangster hit theaters and contended against the future viral sensation Bee Movie for the affections and wallets of American cinema-goers that weekend. In this case, audiences opted for gangsters over bees, as Gangster took the top spot at the domestic box office during its opening weekend. It opened to an impressive $43.5 million and eventually earned a domestic total of $130.1 million. Globally, it became Denzel Washington’s first film to surpass $200 million worldwide, grossing a total of $267.9 million worldwide.
The film “American Gangster” had several factors contributing to its box office success. Firstly, crime stories are universally appealing, and audiences often enjoy rooting for the villain, which was the case with this movie’s marketing strategy. Secondly, such stories have a global resonance, making “American Gangster” more accessible to international cinema-goers. To sweeten the deal, the film brought together the talents of Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott, who had previously collaborated on “Gladiator”. However, their collaboration in the previous year’s “A Good Year” demonstrated that their teamwork could just as easily result in a box office flop as it could in another blockbuster hit like “Gladiator”.
Instead of “Gangster”, Crowe’s romantic adventure in the scenic French countryside depicted in “A Good Year” didn’t seem as appealing to audiences compared to the action-packed “Gangster”. The posters for “Gangster” showed Crowe brandishing a gun and facing off against Washington, making it a more captivating choice for viewers. This collaboration was far more intriguing than other projects involving Crowe and Scott. However, it’s clear that the box office success of “American Gangster” was largely due to Washington’s participation in the film.
In simpler terms, the movie “American Gangster” capitalized on the trend of casting respected dramatic actor Denzel Washington in action/thrillers during the mid-2000s, as seen in films like Man on Fire and Deja Vu. However, American Gangster took this concept a step further by pairing Washington with a well-known historical figure (Frank Lucas) and promising intense violence. Additionally, its marketing strategy, which resembled the classic crime movie Scarface, especially in its poster design, and its appeal to female moviegovers, significantly contributed to American Gangster’s impressive box office performance for a Denzel Washington film.
What Was American Gangster’s Long-Term Influence?
Following our collaboration on “Gangster,” I had the privilege of teaming up with Scott and Crowe twice more: first in 2008 for “Body of Lies” and then in 2010 for “Robin Hood.” Meanwhile, Washington continued to delve into the realms of action and suspense with movies like the gripping 2010 release, “Unstoppable.” Working together on this 2007 project paved the way for our reunion in the highly anticipated sequel to “Gladiator,” which was heavily promoted based on our casting for the 2024 release. The film “American Gangster” left an indelible mark on pop culture, inspiring a concept album of the same name by rapper Jay-Z. This album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and achieved platinum status in less than a month, thus enriching the film’s cultural legacy not only cinematically but also musically.
It’s interesting to point out that the international box office performance of Washington’s films saw a significant improvement following the release of “Gangster”. Out of the 12 other movies starring Washington that made over $80 million abroad, 7 were released after “Gangster”. However, unlike the gangster/crime drama genre, it didn’t witness a resurgence post-“Gangster”. Instead, the 2000s saw a renewal of this genre, fueled by movies like “The Departed” and “American Gangster”. Films such as “RockNRolla” and “Public Enemies” were prevalent in cinemas towards the end of the decade. But by the 2010s, the genre predominantly produced box office failures such as “Gangster Squad” and “Live By Night”.
It’s unlikely that a gangster film would be successful in theaters unless it had “John Wick” in its title. As Hollywood moved away from mid-budget movies targeted at adults in the 2010s, the popularity of gangster films waned. Consequently, American Gangster served as a sort of farewell for the genre (even though a few other movies, like The Town, earned money later on). The swan song for this genre, however, was also Denzel Washington’s highest-grossing film at the box office. Only with Gladiator II 17 years later has another Washington movie surpassed its global box office earnings…
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2024-11-26 02:40