2013 Gerard Butler Movie Beat Jamie Foxx’s $205M Film Despite Same Plotline and Almost Half the Budget

While Olympus Has Fallen, starring Gerard Butler, enjoyed tremendous success at the box office, its counterpart, White House Down, faced a starkly contrasting fate as a major box office disappointment.

Released a mere three months apart in 2013, White House Down is an action-packed film that revolves around the character John Cale, played by Channing Tatum, a Capitol Police Officer entrusted with the task of safeguarding the U.S. President, portrayed by Jamie Foxx.

Olympus Has Fallen

Interestingly, this premise bears a striking resemblance to another action film of the same year, Olympus Has Fallen, where Gerard Butler’s character, former Secret Service agent Mike Banning, is similarly tasked with protecting the U.S. President, played by Aaron Eckhart, from a terrorist group.

Olympus Has Fallen Became A Popular Franchise

The remarkable success of Olympus Has Fallen paved the way for an action-packed film franchise encompassing two sequels. The series has amassed a staggering sum of over half a billion dollars at the box office.

Building on this momentum, a television show spinoff titled Paris Has Fallen is currently in production. Furthermore, there are plans for a fourth installment called Night Has Fallen, with subsequent movies already in development, as reported by Deadline.

Gerard Butler’s Mike Banning in Olympus Has Fallen

Ironically, despite White House Down having a higher gross revenue than Olympus Has Fallen, the budget dynamics led to contrasting outcomes for the two movies.

Gerard Butler‘s Olympus Has Fallen, with a modest budget of $70 million, achieved considerable success by grossing $170 million worldwide, resulting in a profitable venture for Millennium Films.

On the other hand, White House Down generated a respectable global revenue of $205 million, but its inflated budget of $150 million, coupled with the typical rule of thumb that marketing costs match production expenses, implied that the action film likely remained in a financially unfavorable position even after its theatrical run.

White House Down Faced More Competiton At The Box Office

Regrettably, White House Down encountered significant challenges at the box office, largely due to fierce competition and an unfavorable release date. Opening on June 28, 2013, the film faced direct competition from another highly anticipated movie: The Heat, starring Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock.

White House Down

Despite being a comedy, The Heat also featured action elements and held an R-rating, attracting a substantial audience that might have otherwise chosen to spend their money on tickets for White House Down. The Heat emerged as a major success, grossing an impressive $230 million worldwide against its $43 million budget.