Earlier this week, the United States celebrated its Independence Day, which usually means celebratory barbecues, trips to the beach, and of course viewings some of the best action movies, as well as 1996’s Independence Day. However, another Roland Emmerich blockbuster is currently crushing right now on Netflix, thanks in part to the charisma of Channing Tatum. Of course, it helps that the movie in question is 2013’s White House Down, which is another explosion-packed celebration of what makes this country great.
Starting on the 2nd of July, FlixPatrol’s numbers for Netflix viewership saw the Tatum-led action movie co-starring Jamie Foxx jump into the top 10 of films being streamed on the platform. Starting at a 7th place showing, Channing and company stepped their way up to second place the next day, with first place being secured just in time for the fireworks.
That alone makes total sense, as again this is a pretty patriotic Die Hard clone; much like its direct competitor in 2013, Olympus Has Fallen. What’s even crazier is, White House Down has maintained its lead in the post-holiday timeframe. Meaning that throughout this entire week, Sony’s Channing Tatum/Jamie Foxx-led buddy action/adventure has entertained quite a few Netflix subscription holders.
This is even in light of everything new on Netflix recently adding Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction 2 to the fold for all to enjoy. Don’t take my word for it, as this freshly grabbed screenshot from the homepage shows that this flick is still holding onto that top spot with great strength, and stiff competition:
This is a pretty huge redemption for Roland Emmerich’s adventure picture, in which terrorists try to take control of the White House, leading the president (Jamie Foxx) and a rejected Secret Service candidate (Channing Tatum) to team up in order to survive. It's an attractive premise, but as Wikipedia shows in the rundown of reaction to the finished product, the June 28th opening weekend saw White House Down only rake in $24.8 million domestically, landing the film in 4th place.
Critical praise for the film wasn’t exactly in huge supply either, as even our own Eric Eisenberg's official White House Down review noted that this project really wanted to be Die Hard’s little sibling. When all was said and done, an estimated $205.4 million was grossed worldwide against a reported $150 million production budget.
By the numbers, all involved had a flop on their hands with White House Down; but this new success story is just why streaming libraries rich with back catalog titles are so important. While it may have cratered at the box office in its contemporary release, this Roland Emmerich/Channing Tatum action extravaganza has found a new life through streaming. Contrary to Tatum’s character John Cale, this picture has found itself in the right place at the right time.
So if you’ve been a fan of White House Down since it first opened back in 2013, congratulations: your day of redemption has arrived. Which just leaves two questions: when will this throwback be dethroned from its seat at the top, and which movie will be the one to do it?
