Friday, March 29, 2024

Hollywood: Gerard Butler Has a Problem–A Good Leading Man with Too Many Turkeys

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Our friend, Gerard Butler, has a problem. Tall and handsome, a very good leading man, Butler needs a hit. He won’t be finding it this weekend in “London Has Fallen,” which has a 20 on Rotten Tomatoes. The reviews are very bad.

He didn’t find it last week with “Gods of Egypt.” That one had a 12 on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s made $17 million, cost at least $140 million, and is on the way to the slaughterhouse.

Butler seems to be picking movies for money– good salaries in big budget adventures. But the returns are diminishing.

He’s had a couple of hits– “Olympus Has Fallen” in 2013 and “300” in 2008. The former made $98 million and the latter just over $200 million.

But there’s a lot of dreck on that resume like “Playing for Keeps,” “Chasing Mavericks” and “Machine Gun Preacher.” That last one made just $538,690 when it was released– or when it escaped– in 2011.

Butler is 46, looks a little younger in fact, and should be making Mel Gibson type movies from “Lethal Weapon” to “What Women Want.” I don’t know if anyone is scouting projects or directors for him, but he’s in the sweet spot. It’s now or never.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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