The film was released in the United States on March 22, 2013, by FilmDistrict, and grossed $170 million against a $70 million production budget. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Fuqua's direction and Butler's performance, but criticized the overt violence and screenplay. Olympus Has Fallen was one of two films released in 2013 that depicted a terrorist attack against the White House; the other was White House Down, which was released three months later.
A sequel, titled London Has Fallen, was released on March 4, 2016, with the principal cast members reprising their roles. A third film, Angel Has Fallen, was released on August 23, 2019.
Plot
Mike Banning, a former U.S. Army Ranger, serves as a Secret Service agent and detail leader within the Presidential Protection Division. He cultivates a warm, personal bond with President Benjamin Asher, First Lady Margaret, and their son, Connor. Tragedy strikes during a snowy Christmas drive from Camp David, the Presidential Limousine, carrying the First Family, loses control on an icy bridge after a falling tree branch causes an accident. Banning manages to rescue President Asher, but the limo crashes, killing Margaret.
Eighteen months later, Mike Banning finds himself reassigned to the Treasury Department, a consequence of his removal from the prestigious presidential detail. Meanwhile, at the White House, President Asher's meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Lee Tae-Woo is interrupted when North Korean terrorists, under the command of Kang Yeonsak, launch a coordinated assault, aiming to seize control of the White House.
Aided by ex-Secret Service agent-turned-private security contractor Dave Forbes, the terrorists hold Asher and several top officials hostage in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC), executing Lee on live video for the world to witness their power. Before being killed, Agent Roma alerts the Pentagon.
Mike joined the initial defense before he retreated into the White House. Once inside, Banning disabled the internal surveillance systems, and, using Asher's satellite earphone, he established crucial communication lines with Secret Service Director Lynne Jacobs and Speaker of the House Allan Trumbull, who, as acting president, in the Pentagon's emergency briefing room.
Kang leverages Asher's captivity, demanding Trumbull to withdraw U.S. forces from South Korea. His ultimate goal is to detonate the American nuclear arsenal, transforming North America into a radioactive wasteland as retribution for his mother's demise by accessing the Cerberus system, which requires codes held only by Asher, Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan, and Chairman of the Joint ChiefsAdmiral Joseph Hoenig. Asher urges McMillan and Hoenig to disclose their codes to save lives, confident in his resolve to resist.
After discovering Connor concealed within the building's walls, Banning takes him to safety, thwarting Kang's scheme to coerce Asher into divulging his code. Banning kills numerous commandos, including Forbes. Army Chief of StaffGeneral Edward Clegg, the Army Chief of Staff, persuades Trumbull to sanction an aerial assault on the White House. However, the terrorists intercept and annihilate the attack force with their advanced Hydra 6 anti-aircraft system. In response, Kang executes Vice President Charlie Rodriguez.
Banning, however, cleverly shuts down Kang's communication network, forcing him to expose his operatives so he can execute McMillan publicly. Banning ambushes them, results in heavy losses for Kang. With their numbers dwindling, Kang stages his and Asher's apparent deaths in a suicide helicopter explosion, sacrificing his remaining commandos and hostages to conceal their escape.
Banning decides the ploy and heads to the bunker. With two codes secured, Kang solves Asher's code and triggers Cerberus before attempting to escape with Asher. Banning arrives and kills the remaining terrorists before killing Kang with a knife. Banning, with Trumbull's aid, deactivates Cerberus just in time. Following the White House recapture, Banning escorts Asher to safety. Subsequently, he resumes his role as head of presidential security. Asher addresses the nation, acknowledging the attack's impact and pledging America's resilience and determination to rebuild, emerging stronger from the ordeal.
Olympus Has Fallen was directed by Antoine Fuqua, based on a script by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt in their first screenwriting effort. The production company Millennium Films acquired the spec script in March 2012, and Gerard Butler was cast later in the month as the star of the film.[4] The rest of the characters were cast throughout June and July.
In 2012, Millennium Films competed against Sony Pictures, which was producing White House Down (a twin film about a takeover of the White House) to complete casting and begin filming.[16]
Filming began in Shreveport, Louisiana, in mid-July 2012.[9] Because Olympus Has Fallen was filmed so far from its actual setting of Washington, D.C., the entire production relied heavily upon visual effects, particularly computer-generated imagery. For example, computers were used to create nearly all of the opening sequence in which the First Lady is killed in a car accident, with chroma key greenscreen technology used to composite the actors into the computer-generated snowy scenery. For scenes where actors walked in or out of the White House, a first-floor façade and entrance were built; computers added the second floor, roof, and downtown D.C. cityscape. Action scenes with the White House in the background were filmed in open fields and the White House and D.C. were added in post-production.[17]
Score
The score was composed by Trevor Morris whose past projects included The Tudors and The Borgias.[18] The score was recorded at Trevor Morris Studios in Santa Monica with the Bratislava Slovak National Orchestra.
Olympus Has Fallen (Music from the Motion Picture)
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Land of the Free"
1:42
2.
"The Full Package / Snowy Car Talk"
2:00
3.
"Stage Coach Crashes / Death of the First Lady"
2:38
4.
"Rocky Road Ice Cream"
1:16
5.
"White House: Air Attack"
7:10
6.
"White House: Ground Attack"
10:02
7.
"Olympus Has Fallen"
2:00
8.
"P.E.O.C. Incarceration"
2:21
9.
"Banning Steps Into Action"
1:40
10.
"Triage"
0:54
11.
"Banning Gathers Intelligence"
5:10
12.
"Hunting Banning"
2:05
13.
"He's in the Walls"
1:09
14.
"Saving Spark Plug"
3:52
15.
"Breaking Madam Secretary"
2:49
16.
"How Do You Know Kang's Name?"
2:16
17.
"Any Regrets"
1:11
18.
"S.E.A.L. Helicopter Incursion"
4:45
19.
"Walking the Plank"
3:11
20.
"Pulling the Fleet"
1:24
21.
"Mano e Mano"
2:13
22.
"Stopping Cerberus"
2:24
23.
"Day Break / We Will Rise / End Credits"
5:06
Total length:
69:00
Release
Olympus Has Fallen was released in the United States on March 22, 2013.[6] It was initially scheduled for an April 5, 2013 release, but moved to avoid competition with The Heat, which was to open at the same time (its release was later pushed back to June 28). FilmDistrict distributed the film.[19]
The film was released to home video in the United States on DVD and Blu-ray formats on August 13, 2013. It earned $38.2 million in video rental sales in the U.S.[21]
Controversies
Authorship dispute
A lawsuit was filed in 2013 by Creighton Rothenberger seeking a declaration that John S Green was not the source of the film's characters and material. Green countersued, seeking a declaration that he was the sole author.[22] The case was eventually settled for $175,000, with Rothenberger retaining the rights to the film.[23]
Butler lawsuit
In July 2021, star/producer Gerard Butler sued Nu Image/Millennium Films for $10 million, claiming that the company had understated the film's domestic gross by $17.5 million, as well as failed to report $8 million that went to its own executives. Butler's contract had entitled him to 10% of net profits.[24]
Reception
Box office
Olympus Has Fallen grossed $98.9 million in the U.S. and Canada, and $71.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $170.2 million, against a budget of $70 million.[3]
In its first weekend the film grossed $30.5 million, finishing second at the box office and exceeded predictions of $23 million.[25][26][27]
Critical response
Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports the film has an approval rating of 50% based on 200 reviews, and an average rating of 5.40/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It's far from original, but Olympus Has Fallen benefits from Antoine Fuqua's tense direction and a strong performance from Gerard Butler—which might be just enough for action junkies."[28]Metacritic assigns the film a weighted average score of 41 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[29] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[27]
Katey Rich of CinemaBlend praised the "lean low-budget approach", and called the film "both captivating and queasy".[30]Richard Roeper gave the film a C, calling it "just too much of a pale Die Hard ripoff".[31]David Edelstein was more negative; while praising Butler's role as a "solid" character, he criticized the script and the violence, writing "Olympus Has Fallen is a disgusting piece of work, but it certainly hits its marks—it makes you sick with suspense".[32]
Sequel
Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Angela Bassett and Radha Mitchell returned for a sequel titled London Has Fallen revolving around a major terrorist strike on London during the funeral of the British Prime Minister.[33] Production was scheduled to begin in May 2014 in London, with Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt returning to write the script. Director Antoine Fuqua did not return, due to his commitments to The Equalizer.[34]
On May 1, 2014, it was announced that Focus Features had acquired distribution rights to the sequel and would release it on October 2, 2015, though this was later pushed back to January 22, 2016.[35] However, the film's release was delayed to March 4, 2016. On August 18, 2014, it was announced that Fredrik Bond would direct,[36] but he left the film on September 18, just six weeks before shooting was set to begin.[37] On September 28, it was announced that Babak Najafi would direct.[38]
On October 10, 2014, it was announced that Jackie Earle Haley would join the cast.[39] Filming for the sequel began on October 24, 2014.[40] The film was released on March 4, 2016.
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