Cause of Death: Without my knowledge, another similar article was being written around the same time. When that one was published first, the editor killed mine so it wouldn't look like a copycat. Enjoy!
If you happened to follow thinkpieces and podcasts about the current state of Hollywood over the last decade, chances are you came across at least one discussion or examination lamenting the death of the “midbudget movie”. With the concurrent rise of franchise fever spurred by the likes of the MCU and streaming services opening doors to humbly budgeted but artistically free voices, every movie these days feel like it’s either a 300-plus million dollar mainstream behemoth of corporate branding, or an indie with the budget of Thor’s fatsuit in Avengers: Endgame. The 30-to-70-million midbudget original mainstream entertainment is pretty much extinct, unless we count the one name that seems to be keeping it alive -albeit on life support but still kicking-; the human-sized container of brooding intensity and indelible Scottish charisma machine Gerard Butler.
After his breakthrough role in 300, where he displayed a hypnotizing combination of delirious scenery munching and rock hard abs, Butler was primed to become the next big Hollywood action star. This was of course no surprise, since Zach Snyder’s hilariously homoerotic jingoist fever dream propaganda for a nation that ceased to exist two millennia ago made almost 500 million dollars worldwide on a budget of 65. But Butler came to prominence at the wrong time to turn into an above-the-title draw for 100+ million budgeted action fare, since the year after the release of 300 saw the seismic shift in Hollywood consciousness in the form of Iron Man and The Dark Knight.
Suddenly, it was the franchise branding that was the star, not the pretty face that adorned the poster. Sure, Iron Man turned Robert Downey Jr. into the highest-paid actor of all time, but it was Downey Jr. as Tony Stark that drew the audiences in. For proof, take a look at the cost-to-profit ratio of his non-Stark roles from his prime MCU period. Even what was supposed to be his second biggest franchise, Sherlock Holmes a la forced Guy Ritchie gruff, eventually fizzled out. But Butler didn’t give in and instead stuck to his guns within the still endangered 30 to 70 million action range, with the occasional rom-com like The Ugly Truth and P.S: I Love You thrown in for good measure. He’s been consistently coasting through that realm ever since.
This makes sense for a contemporary star of Butler’s pedigree. He certainly carries enough draw from mainstream audiences to turn a profit from that kind of a budget, but might be too much of a risk for anything higher since he’s not immediately attached to a franchise or an easily recognizable pop culture brand. Even his one successful franchise (Blank) Has Fallen, the “‘Murica Fuck Yeah” series of Die Hard and Taken rip-offs, started off with a 70 million budget and actually went down to 40 with the currently in theatres third entry, Angel Has Fallen.
Butler’s unique allure for midbudget action makes sense: His protagonists usually exude the kind of silent, stoic –Not Stoick, his character from How to Train Your Dragon-, intense, and brooding quality of ‘80s and ‘90s action stars that cover the audience nostalgic for those days like a warm blanket of immediate familiarity. There’s certainly a draw for such throwback material, but not in the 200+ million range. Another element that makes Butler’s action flicks such financial successes is I think hidden in his breezy personality that’s willing to have fun with the material, no matter how self-serious and grim, without turning to an easy tone of meta-humor and borderline self-parody. As his banter with his bestie and fellow Scotsman Craig Ferguson will prove, Butler’s public persona is one of loose camaraderie and down to earth fun, a stark contrast to the kind of characters he usually portrays. I believe it’s this attitude that results in the bit of self-aware playfulness that spices his work with all-inclusionary buffoonery. Take a look at this video where Butler talks through the most iconic characters from his career and count how many times he mentions how far he pushed the tone of a role until it dangled on the precipice of camp but still retained some real world credibility.
Take a look at his vengeance-addicted anti-hero in pre-Straight Outta Compton career resurgence F. Gary Gray’s 2009 revenge fantasy Law Abiding Citizen. The movie itself is such unapologetic schlock that at one point Butler’s character uses a steak bone to kill his cellmate, but Butler never falters into looking down on the material, while also fully understanding the cocksure attitude needed to pull off the lightness in such wanton graphic violence. He’s the perfect pick for a movie like Gods of Egypt, a so-bad-it’s-great tribute to cheesy ‘60s Ray Harryhausen flicks that no one asked for, because he can effortlessly conjure the smoldering man-meat presence that those movies thrived on. Incidentally the rare 100+ million movie in Butler’s filmography, Gods of Egypt carried a worldwide box-office take of 150 million on a budget of 140. Yet when one includes the marketing budget, it’s still considered a major flop.
On the other hand, his big hit that gave birth to his ongoing franchise, Olympus Has Fallen, made only 20 million more at 170. But on a 70 million budget, that’s an impressive amount of extra cash. Therefore it’s no wonder that its sequel London Has Fallen cut the budget down to 60, even though the studio was certain that it would make more money than the original –it did, with a worldwide take of 205-. But why try to give the audience more than they ask for, why try to artificially inflate the prospects of the Gerard Butler franchise, when his core audience expects a certain mid-budget charm from his above-the-title projects? This formula works like gangbusters. Look at Angel Has Fallen’s 40 million budget and then marvel at the 21 it made during its domestic opening weekend alone. So if your Gerard Butler movie is going to make 150-200 million no matter what, why take chances with a budget that goes over 70? It’s this dynamic that seems to singlehandedly keep midbudget Hollywood projects alive.
Before writing this article I conducted an impromptu survey, not with fellow film buffs and critics who follow the ins-and-outs of the industry, but with general moviegoer friends and family about whether they considered Butler to be a genuine Hollywood star. Most invoked 300, then thought that he immediately fell off the map afterwards. A couple of them even used the dreaded term “has been”. Yet a quick recap of his work since 300 reminded them of how prominent and busy Butler has actually been since then. He might not have been commanding blockbuster material or popping up in lower budget awards-bait, but he seems to be content being in the middle, the sole survivor of these kind of movies Hollywood doesn’t really make anymore. Unless of course there’s a Scottish charmer with a pitch-perfect American accent headlining it.
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