Gerard Butler’s Greenland 2: Migration is drawing real momentum on HBO Max, landing as the week’s top streamer—while his earlier sci-fi outing, released in January 2026, struggled at the box office before it too found a new runway.
For Gerard Butler, it’s not the kind of comeback you can measure in opening weekends. It’s the kind that arrives after the credits—when viewers finally get a chance to hit play.
The latest Nielsen report, covering May 11–17, shows Greenland 2: Migration among the most-watched movies of the week on streaming. The industry tracker typically posts streaming viewership data a few weeks later. and in that window Greenland 2 became the only HBO Max title in the top 10. with 207 million minutes watched.
The sequel arrives riding the aftermath of its predecessor. Greenland. which was released in 2020 to moderate box-office success but became incredibly popular on home video platforms. Greenland 2 has had a different reception this time: it received mixed reviews and is currently sitting at a 48% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Rotten Tomatoes consensus frames the tone bluntly—“The world ends more with a whimper in Greenland 2: Migration compared to its predecessor’s big bang thrills. but Gerard Butler’s sturdy star power keeps this continuation reasonably compelling.”.
If there’s a pattern here for Butler, it isn’t happening in a vacuum. Action—especially films aimed at older male audiences—has been tougher at the box office. Jason Statham’s Shelter grossed $53 million worldwide against a reported budget of $50 million. while Guy Ritchie’s In the Grey brought in just $17 million worldwide against a reported budget of $70 million. In the Grey was headlined by Henry Cavill and Jake Gyllenhaal, both of whom have worked with Ritchie previously.
Another expensive January release added to the pressure on the genre. The action film. headlined by Gerard Butler and released theatrically on January 9 (with a 98-minute runtime). ended up grossing $44 million worldwide against a reported budget of $90 million. It also shares a key creative link with Shelter: it was directed by the same filmmaker who made Shelter. Ric Roman Waugh.
Taken together. the numbers tell a story with an uncomfortable contrast: the theatrical run was rough. but the streaming landing is finding traction. Greenland 2: Migration is now giving Butler what this stretch of action cinema hasn’t reliably offered—an audience that keeps watching long after the theater lights dim.
Gerard Butler Greenland 2: Migration HBO Max Nielsen report 207 million minutes watched Ric Roman Waugh Shelter In the Grey Henry Cavill Jake Gyllenhaal action movies
So the movie flopped then somehow it’s #1 on streaming? Makes sense I guess, people hate theaters now.
I watched the first one like 3 years ago and it was good, but I swear I saw Greenland 2 on Netflix too? Or is it only HBO Max in some states lol.
207 million minutes is like… not even that crazy, that’s what, a couple million views? Also Rotten Tomatoes 48% sounds like critics hated it but streaming loves it, usually that means it’s actually bad.
Gerard Butler always does these end-of-the-world things and I’m still shocked action movies are struggling when they’re basically all the same plot. Maybe people just don’t want older guy movies anymore, idk. $90 million budget and only $44 million… that’s rough. But yeah I bet it’ll keep looping on HBO Max after everyone scrolls past it.