White House DownandOlympus Has Fallenwere essentially the same movie, yet only one of them became a franchise, begging the question of why this was the case for one but not the other.Movies likeWhite House DownorOlympus Has Fallenare certainly not uncommon. Presidential-style action movies have been a common trope for decades in Hollywood cinema, with some of thebest political thrillersin history tied to leaders of the United States or their residency.
What makesWhite House DownandOlympus Has Fallenan interesting pair, though, is that both movies were released in the same year. Both have a central duo who work together to stop a raid on the White House, withOlympus Has Fallenfeaturing Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman, whileWhite House Down’s castis led by Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx. The two were released three months apart in 2013, resulting in one becoming a hit franchise with three installments and the other falling to the wayside.
White House Down & Olympus Has Fallen’s Box Office & Critical Reception Explained
Both Movies Were Received Similarly, But Their Box Office Was Different
When looking at why one of these movies spawned a franchise and one did not, the natural first step is to look at the box office and critical performances ofWhite House DownandOlympus Has Fallen.Beginning with the critical reception, there is little to separate the two, just as there is not with the stories themselves.White House Downwas ever so slightly better reviewed thanOlympus Has Fallen, with the former receiving a 52% critical approval ratingon Rotten Tomatoes.Olympus Has Fallenfell just below that number, with a critical approval rating of 50%.
50%
66%
6.5/10
52%
62%
6.3/10
Interestingly, though,White House Downhas one more review thanOlympus Has Fallen, potentially explaining the tiny discrepancy. Beyond that,it seems as though movie-goers preferredOlympus Has Fallen, with the film beating outWhite House Down’s audience scoreof 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. Similarly, viewer ratings on IMDb seeOlympus Has Fallenranked slightly higher thanWhite House Down, with the two possessing a 6.5 and 6.2 rating respectively.
Evidently, there is not much space between the two regarding critical and audience ratings. That said, it is the box office performances ofOlympus Has FallenandWhite House Downthat provide a clearer contrast.White House Downearned more thanOlympus Has Fallen, with the former earning a worldwide total of $205 million and the latter pulling in $170 million. However,Olympus Has Fallenwas produced on only a $70 million budget, whereasWhite House Downcost over double this amount, with a final production figure of $150 million.
How Olympus Has Fallen Became A Franchise And How The Sequels Compare To The Original
The Fallen Franchise Is Cheaper & More Appealing To Audiences
Based on the box office figures forWhite House DownandOlympus Has Fallen, it is easy to see why the latter spawned and became a franchise where the former did not. It is a common rule of thumb in Hollywood that a movie must earn over double its production budget to begin turning a profit for the studio.WhereOlympus Has Fallenis concerned, the movie earned its budget back, doubled it, and then added another $30 millionon top of that.White House Down, however, only just recouped its budget and would have needed to earn at least another $100 million to break even.
This explains whyOlympus Has Fallenbecame a franchise, starting with 2016’sLondon Has Fallen. While not reviewed as well by critics and fans alike,London Has Fallenproved even more popular among global audiences, earning an improved $205 million against a cheaper $60 million budget. Naturally, the studio ordered a sequel, released in 2019. This film,Angel Has Fallen, is often regarded as thebest-rankedHas Fallenmovieby fans, with a massive 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, by far the highest of the series.
Angel Has Fallenalso continued to solidify the franchise as a strong one commercially. Despite only grossing $146 million, the third film has the cheapest budget in the series at $40 million. As a result, afourth film titledNight Has Fallenis currently being written, while a TV series spin-off namedParis Has Fallenwas released in 2024. Another TV spin-off is currently filming,Apollo Has Fallen, proving beyond all doubt how successfulOlympus Has Fallenwas overWhite House Downby spawning a total of five related stories.
To put it bluntly,White House Downdid not earn enough money to follow inOlympus Has Fallen’s footsteps. This is somewhat ironic, given the extra $30 millionWhite House Downearned over its competitor. However, the extra $80 million it cost to produceWhite House Downproved far too expensive to warrant greenlighting a sequel. Over a decade later, the situation remains the same; the stars involved in a sequel would only cause the budget to balloon even further, rendering a sequel toWhite House Downsomething that is highly unlikely to happen.
Olympus Has Fallen Was Ultimately The “Winner” Of 2013’s White House Movies
That Continues Winning To This Day
If it was not already obvious,Olympus Has Fallenwas the “winner” of the 2013 White House movies, renderingWhite House Downthe unfortunate loser. The reception to the initial two films alone proves this, withOlympus Has Fallenprevailing where it counts: with audiences. More audience members likedOlympus Has FallenoverWhite House Down,as proven by the aforementioned Rotten Tomatoes scores. Thanks to the savvy budget of Millennium Films over Sony Pictures' $150 million, these things combined to makeOlympus Has Fallenthe winner of 2013.
As evidenced by the exploration of theHas Fallensequels, the franchise continues to win over a decade later too.White House Downhas faded mostly into obscurity aside from a brief streaming service resurgence in 2023. TheHas Fallenseries, though, shows no sign of slowing down. Two sequels later, another is now in development, with star Gerard Butler seemingly owning a swathe of space in the modern cinema landscape dedicated to loud, fun action movies. When counting the two TV spin-offs too,Olympus Has Fallenis the undisputed champ overWhite House Down.
