A potential sequel to a recent $77 million Russell Crowe movie could be important for his career, given his box office trends of the past decade. The Australian actor made it big in Hollywood in the 1990s with hit roles in Gladiator, L.A. Confidential, and more, earning him an Academy Award and recognition as one of the world’s biggest stars. With many of Russell Crowe’s best movies in the past, he’s still starring in films in his post-peak career, though many have been low-budget and poorly reviewed.
Crowe’s movies have grossed over $5 billion in total, with standouts being Thor: Love and Thunder, Man of Steel, and Gladiator. Both critically and commercially, Crowe has had an undoubtedly successful career, with nothing left to prove. In 2024, Crowe has already starred in Land of Bad and Sleeping Dogs, neither of which performed well at the box office. He’s also part of the Kraven the Hunter cast, which will mark his introduction to Sony’s Marvel movie spin-offs centered around the Spider-Man villain Kraven.
Over the past decade, Russell Crowe’s box office hits have become far less frequent. There are notable exceptions, like Noah and Thor: Love and Thunder, which were major studio movies that made a hefty profit. Noah came at a solid run for Crowe, following Robin Hood, Les Misérables, and Man of Steel, all of which made waves commercially. This was the last notably profitable run for Crowe between 2010 and 2014. Since then, his hits have been few and far between. His role in Kraven the Hunter could be an opportunity to get back on track.
There are reasons for Crowe’s lack of commercial success. He’s not as marketable of a star anymore, and while many actors his age lean toward playing supporting characters, Crowe has continued to select primarily starring in lead roles. Many of his films have been low-budget, meaning they aren’t marketed well. Russell Crowe’s movies have also had a trend with poor Rotten Tomatoes reviews despite Audience Scores being significantly more favorable. Still, outside of the prestige factor Crowe brings, many of his recent movies have had some schlock.
One movie that’s stood out as an enormous success for Russell Crowe has been 2023’s The Pope’s Exorcist. The movie only had a 49% Tomatometer but faired much better with audiences, who gave it an 81% score. Commercially, The Pope’s Exorcist raked in $72 million on a $20 million budget, making it Crowe’s most prominent leading-role commercial hit since Noah in 2014. With his 2024 movies Sleeping Dogs and Land of Bad both bombing at the box office, the possibility of The Pope’s Exorcist 2 might be something to look into.
Horror movies stand out with a unique ability to achieve commercial success. Many of them are made on low budgets and receive poor reviews, yet become commercial hits if they can provide momentary thrills. The Pope’s Exorcist may not be redefining the horror genre like recent films from Jordan Peele or Ari Aster, but there’s undoubtedly an appeal for movies like that. Attaching a recognizable name like Russell Crowe’s to a low-budget horror film is the perfect way to achieve a mild commercial hit. It won’t do Barbie numbers, but it doesn’t have to.
Since the surprise hit of The Pope’s Exorcist in 2023, questions about a sequel film have been constant. Russell Crowe won’t be in the Gladiator sequel cast, but he can lead his own horror sequel! The latest news about The Pope’s Exorcist 2 saw confirmation about the film’s development (via Bloody Disgusting). Given the film’s buzz on Netflix, a sequel could become even more of a financial success. Since its release on the site, the 2023 film has been a considerable streaming success, again proving that movies don’t have to be well-reviewed to attain viewership on Netflix.
Though there’s no news of Russell Crowe officially signing on to return to the role, it’d be impossible to make a sequel without him returning as Father Amorth. The first film’s ending even implies room for an expanded story, suggesting that only one of the 200 fallen angels had been dealt with. With 199 more to go, Russell Crowe could end up warding off evil for years with even more movies in The Pope’s Exorcist world, assuming they continue to be commercially fruitful for him.
Sources: Bloody Disgusting