Gerard Butler’s Controversial Fantasy Film with a ‘Game of Thrones’ Star Is Now Streaming on Netflix

This August, Netflix is adding another movie to its library that has sparked strong opinions among viewers, Gods of Egypt. The film originally came out in 2016 and is a fantasy action story set in a made-up version of ancient Egypt, filled with gods and epic battles. It features a big cast including Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Brenton Thwaites, Chadwick Boseman, Élodie Yung, Gerard Butler, and Geoffrey Rush. The story follows Horus, an Egyptian god, who teams up with a mortal thief to save the world and rescue his love from the evil god Set.

Gods of Egypt was released worldwide by Lionsgate in February 2016. It was available in regular 2D, 3D, and IMAX theaters. However, the movie didn’t do well with critics or at the box office. Despite making about $150 million globally, it barely covered its $140 million budget and ended up losing an estimated $90 million for Lionsgate. The movie even got nominated for several Golden Raspberry Awards, which highlight the worst films of the year.

One of the biggest controversies around Gods of Egypt was its casting. Most of the main actors were white and of European descent, which didn’t fit well with the story set in ancient Egypt. The Associated Press reported that Lionsgate faced heavy criticism for this choice. Both the studio and the director, Alex Proyas, apologized for the casting decisions. However, some people felt the apology was just a way to quiet the backlash rather than a sincere response.

Critics were not kind to the movie. On Rotten Tomatoes, Gods of Egypt holds a very low approval rating of 15%, and Metacritic scores it at 25 out of 100, showing that most reviews were negative. Reviewers said the film was filled with weak writing and unimpressive visual effects. Many also pointed out that the movie’s portrayal of ancient Egypt felt off, especially since the main characters were mostly played by white actors. Some critics found the movie so poorly made that it could have become a cult classic for being “so bad it’s good,” but instead, it just got boring and repetitive.

The movie was called overlong and silly by some, who felt it relied too much on typical action scenes like monster chases and crumbling temples without much depth. Others said it was offensive and ridiculous but admitted it could still be entertaining if viewers didn’t take it too seriously. Still, many reviewers labeled the movie a disaster, criticizing its lack of wit and charm.

Despite its rocky start, Gods of Egypt eventually managed to break even financially, but that took over eight years and several home release cycles, according to Deadline Hollywood. While it may not have impressed critics or many viewers, it’s now available on Netflix, where new audiences can decide for themselves if this divisive fantasy film is worth a watch.

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