In a twist of events, Gerard Butler, the leading star of Olympus Has Fallen, has successfully resolved his legal battle over purportedly withheld earnings from the 2013 blockbuster.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film follows Butler’s character, Secret Service agent Mike Banning, as he defends the President against a formidable terrorist assault on the White House. With a global box office triumph exceeding $170 million, the movie birthed two sequels.
Back in 2021, Butler initiated a lawsuit against production companies Nu Image and Millennium Media, contending that they were unjustly retaining a minimum of $10 million in profits that rightfully belonged to him.
According to THR, the lawsuit has now found its conclusion, although the finer details of the settlement remain undisclosed. Butler’s original contract entitled him to various bonuses tied to box office performance, including 6% of domestic revenue, 2% of international revenue, and a 10% share of the film’s net profits.
Butler’s legal action additionally alleged that both Nu Image and Millennium Media concealed over $11 million in profits related to the film, and deliberately misrepresented the figures for domestic revenue. Originally slated for a 2024 trial, this case has taken an unexpected turn towards resolution.
Following his heroic turn in the initial film, Gerard Butler reprised his role as Banning to safeguard global leaders in 2016’s London Has Fallen. In the 2019 release, Angel Has Fallen, Banning finds himself falsely accused in an attack on the President, setting him on the run.
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While London Has Fallen outperformed the original, grossing $205.9 million, Angel Has Fallen marked the franchise’s lowest earnings at $146.7 million.
Despite a drop in box office returns for the latest installment, plans persist to extend the series with Butler as Banning. The announcement in 2019 confirmed three more movies in the pipeline, the first of which was officially named Night Has Fallen in 2020. Angel Has Fallen director, Ric Roman Waugh, known for collaborations with Butler on Greenland and Kandahar, is set to helm this upcoming chapter.