Alex Proyas' largely forgotten fantasy-action epicGods of Egypthas found success on streaming, nearly a decade after its original release in theaters. A new audience appears to be discoveringThe Crowdirector’s critically panned 2016 feature, which starsGerard Butlerin one of his less memorable roles, especiallyup against highly-rated characterslike Leonidas in300and The Phantom inThe Phantom of the Opera.However, it seems that his turn as “Set,” the Egyptian God of the Desert, is now having a moment in the spotlight onNetflix.
Gods of Egyptwas released in theaters in February 2016, but recently found a new streaming home at Netflix, where it quickly entered the Top 10. As of today, August 12, it is the third-most-watched film on the Netflix charts in the United States, behind another Butler hit,Kandahar,whichdebuted in the top spotbefore dropping to second place, withKPop Demon Huntersreclaiming the No. 1 position.Gods of Egyptis currently ranked ahead ofHappy Gilmore 2, Marry Me,andJourney 2: The Mysterious Island,among others on the platform.
Butler stars in a supporting role inGods of Egyptalongside Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and the late Chadwick Boseman, while Brenton Thwaites takes the lead role as Bek. The story chronicles a power struggle between Set (Butler) and his nephew, the powerful god Horus (Coster-Waldau), that plunges the land into chaos and triggers a battle, spearheaded by Bek, who has ambitions to save the world and rescue his true love. His conflict against Set takes him on a perilous journey into the afterlife and across the heavens in an attempt to restore balance.
‘Gods of Egypt’ Was a Big-Budget Box Office Bomb
Gods of Egypthad a mega production budget of $140 million, but the film only managed to bring in $31 million at the box office in the United States and Canada, making it one of the biggest domestic box office bombs of the 2010s. It fared much better overseas, which helped to boost its worldwide total to $150 million, but it still wasn’t enough to turn a profit at the time. In fact, Lionsgate made a substantial loss on the movie when factoring in all expenses. However, the push for profit never stopped andit finally managed to break-evenin 2024.
Positive word-of-mouth can significantly boost a film’s box office performance, but unfortunately, that was in short supply forGods of Egypt. It was critically panned and generally disliked by moviegoers upon its release in 2016, which was reflected in its Rotten Tomatoes ratings, having scored 14% with critics and 37% with audiences. Thereviewers cited issueswith its nonsensical plot, uninspired script, and poor special effects. The film also faced significant backlash for its casting choices and whitewashing of Egyptian characters.
Gods of Egyptbecame a blight on Proyas' filmography, which also includes cult classics likeThe CrowandDark City, along with the underrated Nicolas Cage sci-fi thrillerKnowingand the commercially successful Will Smith hitI, Robot. Despite having success with his earlier endeavors, Proyas hasn’t released a feature film since his Butler-starring epic— but that will soon change as his sci-fi musicalR.U.R.is in post-production. He may now be able to rise like a phoenix from the ashes ofGods of Egypt,especially with it recently finding redemption.
Gods of Egypt
