Twin films are a regular occurrence in Hollywood, and the main problem with two movies boasting very similar concepts arriving in a short space of time is that one of them is always going to be viewed as the least successful of the two.
On the surface, 2013’s battle between Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down would appear to favor the latter, based on a number of factors. For one, proven blockbuster director Roland Emmerich was handed a $150 million budget to bring James Vanderbilt’s story to life, a screenplay deemed so must-have that Universal shelled out $3 million on spec.
Throw in the popular Channing Tatum getting his white vest dirty in a rare action hero role, coupled with Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx as the president of the United States, and all the pieces were in place for a major box office smash hit. Instead, it was Antoine Fuqua and Gerard Butler’s ‘Die Hard in the White House’ actioner that thrived.
White House Down may have earned $205 million globally compared to Olympus‘ $170 million, and scored marginally better reviews in the process, but it was also twice as expensive to produce and boasted a much costlier marketing campaign. It’s a diverting enough exercise in pyrotechnic silliness, to be fair, but it clearly didn’t catch on with audiences the way anyone was intending.
Almost a decade after releasing, and White House Down is threatening to emerge from obscurity via a strong showing on streaming. As per FlixPatrol, Emmerich’s misjudged attempt at straightforward running and gunning has been rocketing up the HBO most-watched list internationally, even if Stateside viewers haven’t given it much thought for a long time.