Gerard Butler's Recent Films Shine Despite Criticism
Gerard Butler's latest action movie, Kandahar, has hit theaters, leaving audiences on the edge of their seats With a strong track record of successful films in recent years, Butler continues to impress with his captivating performances and thrilling action sequences
The recent release of Kandahar starring Gerard Butler has unfortunately set a new record for the actor. In this film, Butler portrays a CIA operative who goes undercover in Afghanistan. Despite being released on May 26, the movie only managed to secure the No. 7 spot at the box office, falling behind other new releases like The Little Mermaid 2023, The Machine, and About My Father, as well as popular films like Fast X, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Kandahar received a Rotten score of 46 percent on Rotten Tomatoes during its debut weekend, making it the 30th film in Butler's career to receive a negative rating. This figure is particularly concerning when you consider that Butler has only appeared in 43 films that have been scored on Rotten Tomatoes. In other words, around 70 percent of the movies that he has starred in have been panned by critics.
The Last Five Years Have Still Been Great for Gerard Butler
Despite the negative milestone of the Kandahar score, Butler's career has seen a resurgence in recent years. While his Rotten films were clustered in the middle of his career, his lead role in Zack Snyder's 300 earned him a third-ever Fresh score, followed by better-regarded films like RocknRolla and How to Train Your Dragon. Unfortunately, Kandahar falls in line with his less successful action vehicles like Gamer, Law Abiding Citizen, and Geostorm. However, this is just a minor setback in his recent comeback. In 2018, Butler returned with full force in The Vanishing, which received an 85 percent rating after a string of seven Rotten titles.
Butler has continued to add to his list of Fresh titles with recent releases such as How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Greenland, Copshop, and Plane. Despite the negative reception of Kandahar, Butler is experiencing a successful period in his career comparable to the late 2000s. He has produced nearly 40 percent of his Fresh titles in the last five years, with the possibility of even more to come in the near future.
