Gerard Butler’s underrated 2023 action film - and a favorite of Stephen King’s - soars again, becoming a huge streaming hit onNetflix. His movies may not come at the same furious pace as Liam Neeson’s, but the Scot who perfected Spartan-kicking is not far behind his Irish acting brother when it comes to cranking out relatively inexpensive, watchable action fare.
Butler’s high rate of production not only keeps him busy as an actor, it also guarantees him a prominent place in every streaming service’s lineup of action films. Earlier in 2025, Butler saw his action-thrillerDen of Thievesbecome a trending title, thanks in part to the release ofDen of Thieves 2, which itself rocketed to the top of the streaming charts when it was made available (Den of Thieves 3is now on the way). Also in 2025, Butler’s flop theatrical releaseGeostormfound new life on streaming, while in 2024, the star’sLaw Abiding Citizenresurfaced thanks to Netflix.
Gerard Butler’s Plane Is Now A Streaming Hit On Netflix
The Title Was Mocked, But The Film Did Well
The world’s biggest streamer has become a second-home for Butler’s films, and now another of his recent releases is dominating Netflix, asPlaneshoots to the top of the streaming charts. Released in 2023, the movie took advantage of light January competition to gross $74 million on a modest budget of $25 million.
Planebecame a meme thanks to its amusingly generic title, and producers jumped on the bandwagon by announcing a sequel to be entitledShip, though sadly there’s been no recent news about the project.Shipmay never sail after all, butPlaneis having its moment on Netflix, flying high to top the service’s U.S. streaming chart for July 05, 2025 (viaFilxpatrol).
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Our Take On Plane Becoming A Streaming Hit
It’s A Perfect Netflix-And-Chill Action Flick
Planeproved a surprise hit when it swooped in for a landing in 2023. Critics found plenty to like about the movie’s meat-and-potatoes action, as reflected in the film’s 78% fresh rating onRotten Tomatoes.ScreenRantjoined in championing the film as a silly but entertaining time-waster, giving the movie 6-out-of-10, while saying“From the thrilling plane sequences and combat scenes to the subtle humor throughout, Plane is the kind of mindless entertainment that viewers will welcome to start their new year.Even Stephen King has a soft spot forPlane,citing the film as one of his favorites (viaIndieWire).
The same attributes that madePlanea solid watch for moviegoers in 2023 also make it an appealing streaming title. First,there is Butler, who is always engaging, and credibly badass. Second, there’s the movie’s ridiculous-but-appealing premise, which sees Butler’s airline pilot trying to save his passengers after an emergency landing strands them in dangerous territory. Third, there’s the film’s no-nonsense approach to action, which proves untaxing to the brain, and effective in keeping the story on an entertaining course.
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Plane’s arrival at the top spot on Netflix’s streaming chart demonstrates that, two years after its release, viewers still find its action enjoyable. As long as Butler keeps churning out modestly-budgeted, competently-made action films like this, he will continue being a major draw on streaming, where his films’ lack of higher ambition is a feature rather than a bug.
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Plane follows the story of a fearless pilot who successfully lands a storm-damaged aircraft in a war zone. He becomes entangled in the agendas of various militias aiming to seize control of the plane and its passengers.
