White House Down

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Compare and contrast these movie pairs: Volcano and Dante’s Peak, Deep Impact and Armageddon. Hollywood occasionally presents such cinematic twins, and one such duo, the action flick, is set to be streamed for free next month. As you can tell from the title, White House Down‘s film counterpart is Olympus Has Fallen, both released in 2013. While the former features Gerard Butler as an indomitable Secret Service agent, White House Down offers a different perspective with an out-of-his-depth veteran taking on the role of saving the President of the United States. In other words, Olympus Has Fallen focuses on Butler’s heroic actions within the White House compound, whereas White House Down presents a protagonist struggling to navigate the chaos outside the White House to save the president.

Directed by disaster movie maestro Roland Emmerich (famous for films like Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow), and written by James Vanderbilt, the action-packed film White House Down stars Channing Tatum alongside Jamie Foxx as President James Sawyer. During a tour of the iconic building, they find themselves in the midst of an attack. Joining them are Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins, Joey King, and James Woods. Starting from February 1st, this thrilling movie will be available for free streaming. For more details, take a look at the official synopsis provided below.

In a twist of fate, Capitol Police Officer John Cale has been turned down for his desired role in the Secret Service, safeguarding President James Sawyer. To shield his little girl from this setback, Cale instead takes her on an excursion around the White House. Unfortunately, while they are there, a heavily armed militia launches an assault and takes over the premises. As the country’s administration collapses into turmoil, it is only Officer Cale who can rescue his daughter, President Sawyer, and salvage the nation.

Why Did ‘White House Down’ Never Get a Sequel?

Contrary to the case of Gerard Butler’s Olympus Has Fallen series, White House Down did not get a sequel. While both films had similar reactions from critics and audiences, Channing Tatum’s movie was more favorably received by critics (52% vs 50%) but slightly less popular with audiences (62% vs 66%). The absence of a follow-up for White House Down is likely due to box office success, as it earned $205 million globally against a budget of $150 million, while Olympus Has Fallen brought in $170 million against a lower budget of $70 million. It appears that only one B-movie action series based in the White House can thrive.

The absence of a sequel to “White House Down” (perhaps “Houses of Parliament Under Siege”, or “Eiffel Tower in Peril”?) could be attributed mainly to the actors who starred in the original film. While Channing Tatum has ventured into comedy with films like the “Jump Street” series, comedy-drama with “Magic Mike”, action with Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine”, and dark thrillers such as “Blink Twice”, Gerard Butler remains a prominent figure in the action genre. His recent release, “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera”, has received positive feedback from both critics and audiences. Currently, Channing Tatum has multiple projects in development, including the satirical war film “Atropia” and the crime drama “Roofman”.

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2025-01-29 20:33