No other big Hollywood film is keen to take on Gladiator II, meaning that the sequel to 2000’s Russell Crowe epic has centre stage as the only big release in cinemas this week.
If you’re keen for something different, though, you can watch Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration, a three-day concert event filmed in Bocelli’s home town of Tuscany, or catch Brooke Shield’s breakout role in The Blue Lagoon, this week’s Throwback Cinema showing.
Also screening in select Ster Kinekor cinemas is Hydan, which was made in just eight days by local award-winning writer and filmmaker Marshin Cupido on a shoe-string budget of R30,000.
Kicking off the festive blockbuster season (if you don’t count last week’s Red One) is Gladiator II, a direct sequel to Gladiator. Set almost two decades after the events of the first film, Lucius (Paul Mescal) lives happily with his wife in Numidia, North Africa. That is, until Roman soldiers led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) invade, killing his wife and forcing Lucius into slavery. Inspired by his childhood hero Maximus, Lucius resolves to fight as a gladiator under the teaching of Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a former slave who plots to overthrow the young emperors Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn).
Look out for our Gladiator II review later today.