When you think of effect-driven disaster epics, you instantly imagine the wide-scale destruction of the planet in a cacophony of spectacular action sequences that make great use of a budget that’s almost always well north of $100 million.
On the other side of the coin, every now and again something like Greenland comes along to remind audiences that Hollywood doesn’t need to break the bank to tell a fantastic apocalyptic story. Not only was the Gerard Butler vehicle cobbled together for a thrifty $35 million, but a 78% Rotten Tomatoes score makes it one of the best-reviewed end of the world movies to arrive in ages.
Butler, his estranged wife, and their young son hit the road on a dangerous voyage to safety after they’re selected to be sheltered from the incoming meteor that’s poised to eradicate all life as we know it. It’s a standard setup, but the execution tends to keep the focus largely on the characters as opposed to the spectacle, which offers a refreshing change of pace.
Having already been a huge hit on Prime Video and Netflix, Greenland has now set out to conquer a third streaming service. As per FlixPatrol, it currently ranks as one of the most-watched titles on HBO after cracking the Top 10 list in 20 countries, which stands upcoming sequel Migration in very good stead to find a massive audience.