Gerard Butler stars in a new action movie, Plane, which has achieved a high Rotten Tomatoes score, but how does it compare to his other action movies?

Plane is Gerard Butler’s latest high-octane film, but how does Plane’s Rotten Tomatoes score compare to Butler’s previous action movies? Plane is the first major action movie of 2023, but is not the first of Gerard Butler’s action movies as these tend to be where he shines the most.

Plane follows Butler as a pilot named Brodie, who saves his passengers from a lightning strike that causes his plane to crash on a war-torn island. It only gets worse when the island they land on is home to dangerous rebels who take the passengers hostage, and Brodie and accused murderer Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter) have to save them.

Gerard Butler’s most recent action movie has been a big success, only emphasized by the decision to release it in theaters as Plane grossed over $10 million at the box office in its domestic opening weekend.

Plane’s Rotten Tomatoes score also reflects its popularity with its audience, scoring 94% with audiences, Gerard Butler’s highest audience score yet for an action film.

It’s not just the audience that are fans of Plane, with the critics giving a Rotten Tomatoes score of 77%, which also ranks Plane high up in critics’ opinions of Butler’s action movies.

Plane Has The Highest Audience Score Of Any Gerard Butler Action Movie

Plane has taken the top spot as the audience’s favorite for Gerard Butler’s action films with a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It just surpasses the third installment of the Has Fallen franchise, Angel Has Fallen, by 1% and 300 which is rated at 89%.

Aside from these two Butler films, his audience ratings on action films drop rapidly to 74% for Copshop, with everything else falling under 70%, including the rest of the Has Fallen franchise.

Butler is renowned for his action movies, but he has tried other genres such as rom-coms with P.S. I Love You or merging action and comedy with Bounty Hunter; however, it’s obvious action is where Butler thrives. Plane matches many of Butler’s action movies in the sense of being action-packed, dangerous, and full of thrills, which can give the impression that it is just another action movie.

However, the film brings the excitement of Butler’s action movies and adds layers by including Plane‘s complicated character Louis, but it still delivers the action-packed story that audiences would want from a Butler action movie without trying to do more.

Plane’s Critics Score Is The Fourth-Highest For Butler’s Action Movies

Plane has also performed well with critics, achieving 77% on Rotten Tomatoes and some very complimentary views. Critics and audiences are often known to differ on ratings and have done frequently on some of Butler’s biggest action movies.

Angel Has Fallen, for example, only scores 39% with critics compared to 93% with audiences, dropping it low down the critics’ list of Butler’s best action movies.

Some critics were not huge fans, calling it unoriginal and all about the fights, but most critics complimented its ability to bring back old-school action and provide a thrilling and fun watch, which is proving a surprising trend for the 2023 theater releases.

Plane may not be palatable for all the critics, but its 77% score lands it as Butler’s fourth-highest action movie, following the likes of Copshop and Greenland. Butler evidently thrives most in action-packed movies which translates to those watching, and Plane’s ability to deliver exactly what the critics would expect from a Butler action movie seems to work in his favor.

It may not be his highest-rated action movie, but it isn’t far behind the top 3 rated by critics, which proves its success is two-fold with critics and audiences.

Why Plane Is So Popular With Audiences & Critics

Plane may be viewed as a generic Gerard Butler action movie, but its ratings prove that it stands out more than originally thought. Plane has performed pretty well at the box office, so it has performed well as a fun entertainment-specific movie similar to the other early 2023 movies that have been successful.

Movies such as Plane, which could set up a sequel, with big stunts with explosions, plane crashes, and tense moments make much better viewing at the theater and encourage viewing to be a fun experience. The success of Plane at the box office, alongside similar thrilling, entertaining movies like it, such as Knock At The Cabin, explains why critics and audiences rated Plane so highly.

The rise of streaming and the effect of the pandemic has meant movies like Plane, which are action-packed and just fun to watch, have been overlooked by viewers, similar to how quickly Red Notice was forgotten.

The recent recovery of the theater and the push for movies like Plane to get exclusive theater release definitely helps in how the movie is viewed and rated as it gives audiences are much more enjoyable viewing experience. Plane’s success reflects what it was hoping to achieve, and hopefully is not the last of Gerard Butler’s successful action movies.