Fact Finder - Movies

By the late 1990s, the historical 'sword-and-sandal' epic was considered a dead genre. Ridley Scott’s 'Gladiator' proved the skeptics wrong by grossing over $460 million and winning five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film used revolutionary CGI to reconstruct a digitally enhanced Colosseum and to 'clone' thousands of extras into the stadium seats. This blend of gritty, practical action and digital scale breathed new life into historical blockbusters, paving the way for later hits like '300,' 'Troy,' and 'Kingdom of Heaven.' It also turned Russell Crowe into a top-tier blockbuster lead.