'Olympus Has Fallen' and 'White House Down': Two action movies put the White House in peril
Two similar movies that have the misfortune to be coming out within several months of one another are nothing new in Hollywood.
One of the most famous instances occurred in the summer of 1996 when two dueling disaster movies, 鈥淎rmageddon鈥� and 鈥淒eep Impact,鈥� arrived on the movie scene within two months of one another. 鈥淚mpact,鈥� which was released on May 8, saw Earth under attack from a giant comet, while 鈥淎rmageddon,鈥� coming out on July 1, found the planet threatened by an asteroid. 鈥�Armageddon鈥� grossed $201 million domestically, coming in ahead of 鈥淚mpact鈥�'s $140 million, and 鈥淎rmageddon鈥� was better received by critics, scoring 42 to 鈥淚mpact"'s score of 40 on the website Metacritic.
Last year saw another instance of dueling ideas when two movies based on the Brothers Grimm princess tale "Snow White" were released, though the takes on the legend were markedly different from one another. 鈥�Mirror Mirror,鈥� a comedic take on the heroine and her rivalry with her stepmother, came out March 30, while 鈥淪now White and the Huntsman,鈥� a fantasy battle epic that saw Snow don armor and lead an army against the wicked queen, hit theaters June 1. 鈥淗untsman鈥� won the box office battle with a domestic total of $155 million to 鈥淢irror Mirror's" $64 million, and the critics liked it better, too 鈥� 鈥淗untsman鈥� garnered a score of 57 on Metacritic, while 鈥淢irror Mirror鈥� averaged a 46.
So what similar concepts are facing off this year? Seventeen years after the alien invasion movie 鈥�Independence Day鈥� famously destroyed the White House, the home of the Commander-in-Chief is under threat again. The movies 鈥淥lympus Has Fallen鈥� and 鈥淲hite House Down鈥� will find a group of enemies taking over the venerable residence, putting the president in peril. 鈥淥lympus鈥� is coming to theaters March 30 and stars Gerard Butler as a former Secret Service Agent who is inside the building and helps outside forces with the crisis, while 鈥淒own鈥� will star Channing Tatum as 鈥� wait for it 鈥� a Secret Service Agent.
Actor Rick Yune of 鈥�The Man with the Iron Fists鈥� will play a North Korean terrorist in 鈥淥lympus,鈥� while 鈥�Zero Dark Thirty鈥� actor Jason Clarke will play the head of the invading group in 鈥淒own.鈥� President duties are taken on by Aaron Eckhart in 鈥淥lympus鈥� (he plays President Benjamin Asher), while Jamie Foxx of 鈥�Django Unchained鈥� is our leader in 鈥淒own鈥� as President James Sawyer.
Roland Emmerich, who directed 鈥淚ndependence Day,鈥� the movie that destroyed the White House, is helming 鈥淲hite House Down.鈥� Director Antoine Fuqua will be behind 鈥淥lympus Has Fallen.鈥�
Which will triumph? First doesn鈥檛 always mean better in terms of release dates (both the disaster movies and Snow White films battles above prove that), but there鈥檚 always the danger that audiences will view a second similar movie as a copycat. (Both movies moved up their release date 鈥� 鈥淥lympus鈥� was originally scheduled to come out in April, while 鈥淒own鈥� was slated first for November.)
And maybe after this, Emmerich will leave the White House alone for a little while.
