Gladiator II' will hit theaters 24 years after the first film came out (2000) and won five Oscars the following year.

Now, director Ridley Scott is returning to ancient Rome with the long-awaited sequel, "Gladiator II" which hits theaters Friday. The film stars Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, and Pedro Pascal in a story set in the same brutal Roman Empire —one that didn't leave Scott's mind in the years since its first release.

Watch Ridley Scott and 16 of his department heads discuss 'Gladiator II' in a video taken from their all-guild Q&A at Paramount.

Wicked” and “Gladiator II” both drew less in Thursday previews than their “Barbenheimer” counterparts, but are still expected to help the fall box office.

Whatever it hauls in for the weekend, “Wicked” should debut as the highest-opening Broadway adaptation in cinematic history.