300: Rise of an Empire 2014

300: Rise of an Empire is a 2014 American epic historical action film directed by Noam Murro from a screenplay by Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad, based on the comic book limited series Xerxes by Frank Miller. A sequel to 300 (2006), it takes place before, during, and after the main events of that film, and is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Artemisium and the Battle of Salamis in the Greco-Persian Wars. The cast includes Lena Headey, Peter Mensah, David Wenham, Andrew Tiernan, Andrew Pleavin, and Rodrigo Santoro reprising their roles from the first film, alongside Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Hans Matheson, and Callan Mulvey. 300: Rise of an Empire was released theatrically on March 7, 2014, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It received mixed reviews, with critics praising the action sequences, music, cinematography, visual effects and Green's performance but criticizing the story, Stapleton's performance, and overstylized gore. The film was a box-office success, grossing $337 million worldwide from a $110 million budget.