A Gerard Butler Flop Is Getting A Second Chance On Streaming
Sometimes it needs to stream to win.
Known for his work in blockbuster hits including 300, The Phantom of the Opera (2004), and the Has Fallen franchise, it’s hard to believe that Hollywood top dog, Gerard Butler has starred in a flop. In 2020, the Machine Gun Preacher actor lended his talents to the apocalyptic thriller Greenland, a film that, through no fault of his own, didn’t add much positivity to the actor’s long list of credits. But, while it didn’t perform as well as Butler and the other members of cast and crew would have liked, it’s now getting new life breathed into it via HBO. The network is currently clocking Greenland in as one of its top 10 most streamed movies meaning that Butler fans are flocking to it and telling their friends to not overlook the flick they may have missed when it premiered.
The end-of-the-world action movie saw Gerard Butler starring as John Garrity, an engineer who lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his estranged wife, Allison, and their son, Nathan. With Nathan suffering from diabetes, the ex-couple has stayed together in an attempt to better parent him. The world is abuzz with excitement as a comet named “Clarke” is getting ready to pass by the Earth, giving all who watch it the show of a lifetime. You can probably see where this is going, but wait, there’s a twist! John gets an emergency message telling him that he and his family have been selected for an evacuation as the comet is now expected to smack into Earth, completely decimating it. Speeding them along to pack up quickly, John picks up Allison and Nathan and the three head to the Air Force Base evacuation center. However, because of his diabetic condition, Nathan isn’t allowed to escape, forcing the family to flee by foot. They soon discover that the safest place to be is in a fallout bunker in Greenland. The rest of the movie is filled with twists, turns, and action as the trio rushes against time to make it to Greenland before it’s too late.
Starring alongside Gerard Butler in the Ric Roman Waugh directed apocalyptic flick is Morena Baccarin, David Denman, Hope Davis, Roger Dale Floyd, Andrew Byron Bachelor, Merrin Dungey, Holt McCallany, and Scott Glenn. Captain America star, Chris Evans was actually the first actor set to take on the role of John Garrity alongside original director, Neill Blomkamp, before the production got switched around, landing Butler and Waugh in their positions, respectively. Replacing Butler with Evans in any movie and vice-versa sounds really silly to us, so we wish there was some sort of Evans cut to compare the two, but unfortunately that’s not the case.
Released in December 2020, the film, much like many others that year, suffered a knock in ticket sales from COVID-19. While many features of its caliber are meant to be seen in the theater for their special effects, Greenland unfortunately didn’t get the theatrical viewing that it deserved. Critically, the film performed well, with critics enjoying Gerard Butler’s performance along with the panic filled storyline’s progression. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently sits at a 78% critics score and a 63% audience score.
Perhaps because it was a hit among critics, or maybe because it didn’t receive its full big screen glory, a sequel titled, Greenland: Migration is currently in development. Although a plot hasn’t been released (though by the title, we can imagine it has something to do with life after the comet blast) we do know that Ric Roman Waugh, Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, and Roger Dale Floyd will all be returning. The original film was produced by Butler on behalf of his G-Base production company, a name we can expect to see attached to the second film as well. Known for backing some of the biggest action blockbusters in the game, Butler’s production company has been behind films including the Has Fallen franchise, Den of Thieves, Them That Follow, and A Family Man. Back in January, G-Base’s name came out as being attached to an upcoming Aaron Eckhart film titled The Bricklayer, which will be directed by Renny Harlin.
While you may have missed the chance to catch the critically celebrated Greenland while it was in theaters, now’s the time to hop onboard with the countless others watching it on HBO. Check out Gerard Butler like you’ve never seen… er, always seen him before in this apocalyptic action thriller.
