Gods of Egypt (film)

Gods of Egypt

Against a backdrop of Egyptian pyramids, an ensemble cast of Egyptian gods and humans on differing scales pose.

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Alex Proyas
Produced by
  • Basil Iwanyk
  • Alex Proyas
Written by
Starring
Music by Marco Beltrami
Cinematography Peter Menzies Jr.
Edited by Richard Learoyd
Production
companies
Distributed by Summit Entertainment
Release dates
  • February 25, 2016 (2016-02-25) (Australia)
  • February 26, 2016 (2016-02-26) (United States)
Running time
 127 minutes[1]
Country
  • United States
  • Australia[2]
Language English
Budget $140 million[3]
Box office $140.7 million[4]

Gods of Egypt is a 2016 Australian-American fantasy action film, featuring ancient Egyptian deities, directed by Alex Proyas and stars Brenton Thwaites, Gerard Butler, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Chadwick Boseman, Élodie Yung, Courtney Eaton, Rufus Sewell, and Geoffrey Rush. Butler plays the god of darkness Set who takes over the Egyptian empire, and Thwaites plays the mortal hero Bek who partners with the god Horus, played by Coster-Waldau, to save the world and rescue his love.[5]

Filming took place in Australia under the American studio Summit Entertainment. While the film's production budget was $140 million, the parent company Lionsgate's financial exposure was less than $10 million due to tax incentives and pre-sales. The Australian government provided a tax credit for 46% of the film's budget. When Lionsgate began promoting the film in November 2015, it received backlash for its predominantly white cast playing Egyptian deities. In response, Lionsgate and director Proyas apologized for ethnically inaccurate casting.

Lionsgate released Gods of Egypt in theaters globally starting on February 25, 2016 in 2D, RealD 3D, and IMAX 3D. It released the film in the United States, Canada, and 68 other markets on February 26, 2016.

Plot

The film takes place in an alternative Egypt, where the world is flat and gods live among mortal humans. The Egyptian gods are distinguished from humans by their greater height, golden blood, and ability to transform into animal-headed deity forms.

Bek, a mortal thief with little faith in gods and their good will towards mortals, with his love Zaya are attending the coronation of Horus, lord of the air, by his father, the abdicating King of Egypt Osiris. However, during the ceremony Osiris is killed by his jealous brother Set, god of the desert, who seizes the throne and declares a new regime where the dead will have to pay with riches to pass into the afterlife. Horus duels Set in deity form, but is overpowered, and during the chaos, Bek is separated from Zaya. Set tears out Horus' eyes, which are the source of his power, and is prepared to kill him, but Horus' lover Hathor, the goddess of love, begs for his life.

A year passes, during which Set marries Hathor and commissions a grand obelisk tower to be built in honor of his father Ra the god of the sun. Bek has been working among the slaves building the monument, and has discovered Zaya now under the ownership of the chief architect Urshu. Believing that Horus is the only one who can defeat Set, she gives Bek the floorplans to Set's treasure vault from Urshu's library. Using it, he is able to steal back the one of Horus' eyes which he finds there. However, Urshu finds out about their theft and mortally wounds Zaya as the couple flee. Bek takes her body to the tomb of Osiris and Isis, Horus' mother who killed herself in grief, where the blind Horus has been living in exile. Bek makes a bargain with the blinded god: one of his eyes and Bek's knowledge of how to get into Set's desert pyramid, the base of his power, in exchange for Horus bringing Zaya back from the dead, before her spirit reaches the gate to the afterlife where she'll have no riches to pay. Horus agrees, though not telling Bek that he cannot resurrect the dead.

With only a single eye, Horus cannot assume deity form. He and Bek travel to a mountain shrine to Ra to plead for his help. Ra gives him the power to transform, and Horus is able to fly to Ra's divine vessel above the Earth. The source of creation, it carries a chain with which it drags the sun across the sky. Horus is unable to convince Ra to regrant him his power in full or to intervene and defeat Set himself, as Ra is both neutral about their conflict and daily at war with an enormous shadow beast, Apophis, that threatens to devour the world. Nevertheless, Horus obtains divine waters from Ra's vessel, which would weaken Set by killing the desert, if it is poured into the shrine of eternal fire in Set's pyramid. Ra tells Horus that his weakness is the result of him not fulfilling his destiny, which Horus believes means avenging his parent's deaths.

Horus and Bek return to the mortal world, where they must fight off Set's warriors. One survives to return to Set and tell him of the overheard bargain of Horus to bring Zaya back from the dead.

Set goes with his army to battle the last of the gods who have refused to bow to him, at the stronghold of his former wife Nephthys the goddess of protection. After Set defeats the rebel gods, he confronts Nephthys, attacks her, and cuts off her wings. He seeks to obtain the other god's powers in order to increase his own might, having gained Horus' eye and Osiris' heart already.

Set asks Hathor to take him to the underworld which he next desires to conquer. Instead, she attempts to divine Horus' location in secret, but Set discovers her and threatens to kill her. She escapes by removing the Bracelet of 42 Stars, given to her by Horus when he had rescued her, when she served as a counselor in the underworld, it protects her from the underworld's demons, which seek to steal her back. Without the bracelet the demons pull her into the underworld and away from Set, until she puts the bracelet back on, which returns Hathor to the mortal world alone in the desert.

Eventually, Hathor finds Bek and Horus at Osiris' temple, where they battle Set's assassins Astarte and Anat and their giant serpents. Horus at first doesn't trust her, as she married Set who blinded him, while she tries convince him that Set is her enemy as well. When they tell her of their plan regarding Set's shrine, she thinks it impossible as it is protected by a sphinx who will kill anyone not wise enough to solve a riddle. The group then heads to the library of Thoth the god of wisdom, to recruit him to come with them.

Hathor has the power to make anyone do as she commands, when she cannot command Bek, she knows that it is because he has given his heart to another. He reveals his grief as he tells her about Zaya, but Bek assures her that Horus has promised to bring Zaya back to life in exchange for Bek's help fighting Set. Later, Hathor confronts Horus for taking advantage of Bek, when it could could cost his life. Reaching Thoth at his library, Horus fails to convince him to join them, but Bek succeeds by playing on Thoth's vanity. As they travel, Thoth tells Horus that he is a fool for not forgiving Hathor, as she only married Set to save Horus' life.

Arriving at Set's shrine, the gods and Bek overcome its traps, including the sphinx, to reach the source of Set's power. But before they can pour the divine water in, Set traps them and reveals Horus' deception to Bek: that he would be unable to bring Zaya back from the dead. Set destroys their flask of divine water, steals Thoth's brain, and collapses the shrine on them. Horus saves his allies' lives with his strength, but Bek is furious at him for lying about Zaya, whose spirit is just moments away from the afterlife's judging.

When Bek accuses Horus of not caring about mortals only his revenge, Horus in anger confirms this. Hathor feels guilt for not exposing the deception, and as the goddess of love knows that she needs to help the doomed lovers. She sacrifices her own safety for Zaya's payment into the afterlife, giving up her protective bracelet to Bek and calling Anubis to take him to Zaya. Hathor is then immediately kidnapped by the underworld's demons, while Horus realizing that he loves her feels pain at losing her again.

Having obtained the powers of the gods, Set travels to Ra, appealing to his father for approval and asking why Osiris was favored, while he was denied leadership and children. Ra claims that all of Set's prior mistreatment were tests preparing Set for his true role, the honor and burden of taking Ra's place as the defender of the world aboard his solar barge fighting against the demon Apophis. Set is dismayed to hear his destiny is to be alone above the planet until he dies and refuses. He wants to destroy the afterlife so that he can be immortal. Ra tries to fight him, but cannot, as Set has taken the powers of several gods. He then stabs Ra, takes his fiery spear of power, and casts him off the boat, freeing Apophis to consume both the mortal and underword realms.

Bek finds Zaya who refuses Hathor's gift as she doesn't want an afterlife without Bek, but then Apophis attacks and the gate to the afterlife is closed. Bek returns to the mortal world where Horus is amazed that Bek still wants to help take down Set, but Bek tells him it was Zaya who told him to, as she still has faith in Horus.

They capture Urshu so that he can guide Bek to the top of Set's obelisk, where Set is using Ra's spear to call Apophis down to drink the Nile. On the way, Urshu attacks Bek, is fought off, and falls to his death.

Meanwhile, Horus has climbed up the outer wall of the obelisk and attempts to battle Set, but is heavily outmatched. Bek comes to his rescue and removes Horus' stolen eye from Set's armor, being wounded in the process. As Bek slides toward the edge of the obelisk, he throws the eye toward Horus who must choose to catch it or save Bek instead. Horus barely reaches Bek, and they dangle from the roofs edge. He apologizes for all he has put Bek through. As they plummet toward the ground, Horus finds that he now has the power to transform into his deity form, and he catches Bek and flies him to safety. Horus realizes that it wasn't the recovery of his eye or revenge that was his destiny, it was the protection of his people that he needed to fight for. He now has the strength to battle Set, during which Horus brings down the obelisk and kills him. He then finds Ra wounded and floating in space and returns his spear to him, allowing Ra to once again repel Apophis.

As Horus returns to Bek, a child holds out his other eye which she has found, while people cheer him. But Horus' joy turns to sadness as he arrives to find Bek dying. Horus carries him to Osiris' tomb and lays him beside Zaya. Ra, his grandfather, arrives and offers to bestow any power on him to repay Horus for his life and Egypt's survival, but all Horus wants are Bek and Zaya brought back to life.

The other gods are also revived and have their attributes restored. Horus is crowned king by Thoth and declares the afterlife will be for those who do good in the world. Bek is made chief advisor, and he gives Horus back the bracelet, letting Horus leave to rescue Hathor from the underworld.

Cast

Production

Development

...the world of Gods of Egypt never really existed. It is inspired by Egyptian mythology, but it makes no attempt at historical accuracy because that would be pointless — none of the events in the movie ever really happened. It is about as reality-based as Star Wars — which is not real at all ...Maybe one day if I get to make further chapters I will reveal the context of the when and where of the story. But one thing is for sure — it is not set in Ancient Egypt at all.

Director Alex Proyas, December 2015[7]

Gods of Egypt is directed by Alex Proyas based on a screenplay by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. The film was produced under Summit Entertainment. Proyas was contracted by Summit in May 2012, to write the screenplay with Sazama and Sharpless, and to direct the film.[8] Proyas said he sought to make a big-budget film with an original premise, to contrast franchise films. The director cited the following films as influences on Gods of Egypt: The Guns of Navarone (1961), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and Sergio Leone's Western films.[9] Lionsgate anticipated for Gods of Egypt to be the first film in a new franchise after it finished releasing The Hunger Games films.[10]

Casting

Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was cast in June 2013.[11] Gerard Butler, Geoffrey Rush, and Brenton Thwaites joined the cast toward the end of 2013.[12] Chadwick Boseman and Élodie Yung joined the cast at the start of 2014.[13]

Filming

The film was shot in Australia. A crew of 200 began pre-production in Sydney in New South Wales, and producers considered filming in Melbourne in Victoria, to take advantage of the state's tax incentive. Docklands Studios Melbourne was too booked to accommodate Gods of Egypt, and producers were instead offered an airport facility for production.[14] The Australian states New South Wales and Victoria competed to be the location of the film's production, and Summit selected NSW in February 2014. The state's deputy premier, Andrew Stoner, estimated that the production would add 400 jobs to the state and contribute $75 million to its economy.[15][nb 1]

Principal photography began on March 19, 2014 at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney.[16] The setting of Anubis' temple was filmed at Centennial Park in Sydney, and visual effects were laid over the scene.[17] The production budget was $140 million. Jon Feltheimer, the CEO of Summit's parent company Lionsgate, said Lionsgate's financial exposure was under $10 million due to tax incentives of filming in Australia, as well as foreign pre-sales.[18][19] The Australian government's tax credit to have the film produced in the country covered 46% of the $140 million production budget, and most of the remaining budget was covered by the foreign pre-sales.[3]

In the film, the gods in humanoid form are 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and in "battle beast" form are over 12 feet (3.7 m) tall. Proyas used forced perspective and motion control photography to portray the difference in height between the actors portraying the gods and the humans. Proyas called the logistical challenge a "reverse Hobbit", referring to The Lord of the Rings films, in which Hobbits are depicted as shorter than humans.[7] For the Sphinx, actor Kenneth Ransom portrayed the giant creature via motion capture. For the god Thoth, who can appear as many copies, actor Chadwick Boseman was filmed hundreds of times from different angles. For a scene with many copies of Thoth, other actors took a day to film the scene, where Boseman filmed the scene for three days.[17]

Music

Composer Marco Beltrami, who scored Proyas's previous films Knowing (2009) and I, Robot (2004), returned to score Gods of Egypt.[7]

Racial and ethnic casting

Main article: Whitewashing in film

White actors make up most of the principal cast of Gods of Egypt. When Lionsgate began marketing the film, the Associated Press said the distributor received backlash for "ethnically inaccurate casting". Lionsgate and director Alex Proyas both issued apologies. The AP said, "While some praised the preemptive mea culpa... others were more skeptical, concluding that it's simply meant to shut down any further backlash."[20]

The casting practice of white actors as Egyptian characters was first reported after filming started in March 2014, when Daily Life's Ruby Hamad highlighted the practice as "Hollywood whitewashing".[21] Lionsgate released a set of character posters in November 2015, and The Guardian reported that the casting received a backlash on Twitter over the predominantly white cast. Some suggested that the casting of black actor Chadwick Boseman, who plays the god Thoth, played into the Magical Negro stereotype. The previous year, the biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings by director Ridley Scott received similar backlash for having a white cast.[22][nb 2] The Washington Post's Soraya Nadia McDonald also disparaged the casting practice for Gods of Egypt and said Lionsgate released the posters at an unfortunate time. She said with the release of Aziz Ansari's TV series Master of None in the previous week, "Whitewashed casting and the offensiveness of brownface has pretty much dominated the pop culture conversation this week. Promotion for the movie is beginning just as we're wrapping a banner year for discussions of diversity and gender pay equity in the film industry."[23]

When Lionsgate followed its release of posters with a release of a theatrical trailer, Scott Mendelson at Forbes said, "The implication remains that white actors, even generic white actors with zero box office draw, are preferable in terms of domestic and overseas box office than culturally-specific (minority) actors who actually look like the people they are supposed to be playing." He said almost none of the actors, aside from potentially Butler, qualified as box office draws.[24] BET's Evelyn Diaz said while Ridley Scott had defended his casting practice for Exodus by claiming the need to cast box office draws, "Gods of Egypt is headlined by character actors and Gerard Butler, none of whom will have people running to the theater on opening day."[25] Deadline's Ross A. Lincoln said of the released trailer, "Casting here stands out like a sore thumb leftover from 1950s Hollywood. I suspect this film generates a lot of conversation before it hits theaters February 26, 2016."[26]

In response to criticisms of its casting practice, director Alex Proyas and Lionsgate issued apologies in late November 2015 for not considering diversity; Lionsgate said it would strive to do better. Mendelson of Forbes said the apologies were "a somewhat different response" than defenses made by Ridley Scott for Exodus and Joe Wright for Pan (2015).[27] Ava DuVernay, who directed Selma (2014), said, "This kind of apology never happens - for something that happens all the time. An unusual occurrence worth noting."[28] The Guardian's Ben Child said, "The apologies are remarkable, especially given that Gods of Egypt does not debut in cinemas until 26 February and could now suffer at the box office."[29] Michael Ordoña of San Francisco Chronicle said of the apologies, "That's little comfort to the nonwhite actors denied opportunities or the Egyptians who will see a pale shadow of their ancestral traditions."[30] The Casting Society of America applauded the statements from Lionsgate and Proyas. Professor Todd Boyd, chair for the Study of Race and Popular Culture at the University of Southern California, said, "The apology is an attempt to have it both ways. They want the cast that they selected and they don't want people to hold it against them that it's a white cast."[20]

Boseman, who plays the god Thoth, commenting on the whitewashing, said he expected the backlash to happen when he saw the script. He said, "I'm thankful that it did, because actually, I agree with it. That's why I wanted to do it, so you would see someone of African descent playing Thoth, the father of mathematics, astronomy, the god of wisdom."[31] Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau said, "A lot of people are getting really worked up online about the fact that I'm a white actor. I'm not even playing an Egyptian; I'm an 8-foot-tall god who turns into a falcon. A part of me just wants to freak out, but then I think, 'There's nothing you can do about it.' You can’t win in that sort of discussion."[32]

In the month leading up to release, director Proyas said his film was fantasy and not intended to be history. He cited "creative license and artistic freedom of expression" to cast the actors he found to fit the roles. He said "white-washing" was a justified concern but for his fantasy film, "To exclude any one race in service of a hypothetical theory of historical accuracy... would have been biased." Proyas said that films "need more people of color and a greater cultural diversity" but that Gods of Egypt "is not the best one to soap-box issues of diversity with". He argued that the lack of English-speaking Egyptian actors, production practicalities, the studio's requirement for box office draws, and Australia having guidelines limiting "imported" actors were all factors in casting for the film. He concluded, "I attempted to show racial diversity, black, white, Asian, as far as I was allowed, as far as I could, given the limitations I was given. It is obviously clear that for things to change, for casting in movies to become more diverse many forces must align. Not just the creative. To those who are offended by the decisions which were made I have already apologised. I respect their opinion, but I hope the context of the decisions is a little clearer based on my statements here."[9]

Release

Marketing

Lionsgate spent an estimated $30 million on marketing the film.[3] It released a set of character posters in November 2015, for which it received backlash due to white actors playing Egyptian characters, as noted above.[22] Later in the month, it released a theatrical trailer.[24] Lionsgate aired a 60-second spot for Gods of Egypt during the pre-game show of the Super Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016,[33] though they released the trailer online a day earlier.[34]

In the week before the film's release, Lions released the tie-in mobile game Gods of Egypt: Secrets of the Lost Kingdom on iOS and Android.[35]

Box office forecast

BoxOffice forecast two months in advance that Gods of Egypt would gross $14.5 million on its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, and that it would gross $34 million total on its theatrical run. The magazine said the film had "a strong ensemble cast" and that its director has "had a noteworthy following". BoxOffice also said the premise could attract moviegoers who saw Clash of the Titans, Wrath of the Titans, and the Percy Jackson films. Admissions to 3D screenings would help boost Gods of Egypt's gross. The magazine said factors negatively impacting the film's gross were a "lackluster reaction" to its marketing and the backlash to its predominantly white cast causing negative buzz. It anticipated that the film's release would be front-loaded (focused on profiting mainly from opening weekend) due to the poor buzz, its categorization as a fantasy film, and with London Has Fallen opening the following weekend.[36]

A week before the film's release, TheWrap's Todd Cunningham reported an updated forecast of $15 million for its opening weekend in the United States and Canada.[3] The Hollywood Reporter's Pamela McClintock said it was tracking to gross between $12 million and $15 million.[37] Cunningham said the expected gross was low for the film's triple-digit budget as well as additional marketing costs. He said the film could attract Alex Proyas's fan base but that it had suffered "some negativity out there" due to the predominantly white casting as well as the film being perceived to have an "old-fashioned" feel. Exhibitor Relations senior media analyst Jeff Bock said the film "feels late" years after the release of 300 (2007) and Immortals (2011), and an earlier production and release would have been more advantageous. Cunningham said with Lionsgate's financial exposure only being $10 million and the expected opening gross, the film could gross between $40 million and $50 million for its theatrical run in the United States and Canada and ultimately avoid a loss.[3] The Hollywood Reporter's McClintock said "ancient epics" in recent years had not performed well at the box office, citing the 2014 films Hercules, The Legend of Hercules, and Pompeii.[37]

Ryan Faughnder of Los Angeles Times said in the week before the film's release that the expected opening weekend gross meant that Lionsgate's plans to make Gods of Egypt the first film in a new franchise were unlikely. Faughnder said the film would need to perform strongly in territories outside the United States and Canada for a sequel to be developed.[10] Variety's Brent Lang reported that analysts said the film would need to open to $30 million or more in the United States to justify a sequel.[38]

Reception

Theatrical run

As of April 12, 2016, Gods of Egypt has grossed $30.7 million in North America and $106.2 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $136.9 million, against a budget of $140 million.[4]

Lionsgate released Gods of Egypt in theaters globally starting on February 25, 2016.[2] It was released in 2D, RealD 3D,[39] and IMAX 3D.[40] Lionsgate released the film in the United States and Canada on the weekend of February 26–28, as well as in 68 other markets,[41][nb 3] including Russia, South Korea, and Brazil.[38] Jaguar Films released the film in the United Arab Emirates (February 25) and other countries in the Middle East under the title Kings of Egypt.[44] Viacom 18 released the film in India on February 26, 2016 in four languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.[45] eOne will release it in the United Kingdom.

In the United States and Canada, the film was released in 3,117 theaters. It grossed an estimated $800,000 in Thursday-night previews and $4.8 million on Friday, lowering the projected weekend gross to $11–13 million.[46] It went on to gross $14.1 million in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office behind Deadpool ($31.5 million).[47] It competed with fellow newcomers Eddie the Eagle and Triple 9, as well as with Deadpool, which opened two weekends earlier.[48] Opening-day audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale.[47] The Christian Science Monitor's Molly Driscoll said the Gods of Egypt's US release was during "a traditionally quiet time at the box office".[49] Scott Mendelson of Forbes commented on supporting versus opposing a successful debut of the film, "It's an example of a great wrong in modern Hollywood (whitewashing) while existing as a great right (an original fantasy from a gifted and visionary director) at the same time."[50] Deadline's Anthony D'Alessandro said, "Gods arrives during a whirlwind week where diversity is a hot-button topic, not only at the Oscars but in the wake of various studies, such as the one from USA Today, revealing Hollywood's lack of minorities and females in starring roles and in the director's chair."[41]

Outside North America, the film got a staggered release. In its opening weekend, it was number one across Central America, Eastern Europe and South East Asia.[51] Top openings were in Russia ($4.3 million), Brazil ($1.9 million) and Philippines ($1.7 million).[4]

Le Vision Pictures acquired rights from Lionsgate in November 2015 to distribute Gods of Egypt in China,[52] and released the film there on March 11, 2016.[41] Lionsgate also plans to release the film in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2016.[53]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 12%, based on 113 reviews, with an average rating of 3.4/10.[54] Metacritic gives the film a score of 23 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[55]

Alonso Duralde of TheWrap wrote, "A mishmash of unconvincing visual effects and clumsy writing — not to mention another depiction of ancient Egypt in which the lead roles are almost all played by white folks — Gods of Egypt might have merited a so-bad-it’s-good schadenfreude fanbase had it maintained the unintentional laughs of its first 10 minutes. Instead, it skids into dullness, thus negating the camp classic that it so often verges on becoming."[56] Joycelyn Noveck of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film a half star out of four, writing, "It’s obvious the filmmakers were gunning for a sequel here. But this bloated enterprise is so tiresome by the end, it seems more likely headed for a long rest somewhere in the cinematic afterlife."[57] Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club called Gods of Egypt "overlong and very silly," and said: "A treasure trove of gilded fantasy bric-a-brac and clashing accents, Proyas’ sword-and-sandals space opera is a head above the likes of Wrath of the Titans, but it rapidly devolves into a tedious and repetitive succession of monster chases, booby traps, and temples that start to crumble at the last minute."[58]

Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian said, "This is ridiculous. This is offensive. This shouldn’t be, and I’m not going to say otherwise if you can’t bring yourself to buy a ticket for this movie. But if you are on the fence you can always offset your karmic footprint with a donation to a charity, because this movie is a tremendous amount of fun."[59]

In response to the reviews, director Proyas posted to Facebook calling critics "diseased vultures pecking at the bones of a dying carcass", who were "trying to peck to the rhythm of the consensus. I applaud any film-goer who values their own opinion enough to not base it on what the pack-mentality says is good or bad.”[60]

Cultural commentary

Molly Driscoll, writing for The Christian Science Monitor, said Gods of Egypt was part of popular culture's "fascination with Egypt", last visited with the 1999 film The Mummy and its sequels and spin-offs. Driscoll also identified Gods of Egypt as part of a trend of film adaptations of mythology such as the 2010 film Clash of the Titans.[49]

Home media

The film is set to be released May 31, 2016 on DVD and Blu-ray. [61]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The union Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance filed an objection with Australia's Fair Work Commission stating that the film would adopt unfair work conditions. The union contested the production being Australian enough to receive a 40% producer rebate, yet importing work conditions substandard for Australia.[15]
  2. ↑ Filmmakers for Gods of Egypt had already set their cast and had completed filming when backlash occurred over the casting practice for Exodus: Gods and Kings.[20]
  3. ↑ Lionsgate initially scheduled the film to be released in the United States on February 12, 2016,[42] then it postponed the release to April 8, 2016, before finalizing the date to February 26, 2016.[43]

References

  1. ↑ "GODS OF EGYPT (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Ward, Sarah (February 24, 2016). "'Gods Of Egypt': Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Cunningham, Todd (February 19, 2016). "'Gods of Egypt' on Track for $15 Million Opening – Can It Beat the Odds and Launch a Franchise?". TheWrap. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "Gods of Egypt (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Gods of Egypt | Official Movie Site | Story". godsofegypt.movie. Lionsgate. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Gods of Egypt | Story". godsofegyptmovie.com. Lionsgate. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Groves, Don (December 15, 2015). "'The Gods of Egypt': Alex Proyas Grapples With a Size Issue In Fantasy Adventure". Forbes. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  8. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (May 17, 2012). "Proyas in talks for Summit's 'Gods of Egypt'". Variety. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Groves, Don (February 3, 2016). "'Gods Of Egypt'- Silly And Outdated, Or An Unlikely Blockbuster?". Forbes. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Faughnder, Ryan (February 24, 2016). "A roughly $15-million debut is predicted for 'Gods of Egypt' -- a $140-million film". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  11. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (June 5, 2013). "'Game of Thrones' Star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Talks to Lead 'Gods of Egypt'". TheWrap. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  12. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana; Kit, Borys (September 24, 2013). "Gerard Butler to Join Summit's 'Gods of Egypt'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  13. ↑ Fleming, Mike (January 30, 2014). "Chadwick Boseman Set For Summit’s 'Gods Of Egypt'". Deadline. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  14. ↑ Maddox, Gary (February 24, 2014). "Interstate battle for Gods of Egypt movie decided". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  15. 1 2 Frater, Patrick (February 24, 2014). "Summit's 'Gods of Egypt' Heads for Australia Shoot". Variety. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  16. ↑ Groves, Don (March 21, 2014). "Gods of Egypt rolls in Sydney". If Magazine. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  17. 1 2 Groves, Don (February 10, 2016). "'Gods Of Egypt' Unleashes Its Own Golem, A Giant Sphinx Of Stone". Forbes. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  18. ↑ McNary, Dave (May 30, 2014). "Lionsgate Has Franchise Fever, Looks to Duplicate 'Hunger Games' Success". Variety. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  19. ↑ Busch, Anita (February 5, 2016). "Lionsgate Plans 17 Films For 2017, Says 'Star Wars' Grabbed $50M-$100M From 'Mockingjay 2'; Stock Falls 27%". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  20. 1 2 3 Bahr, Lindsey (December 14, 2015). "'Gods of Egypt' renews concern about inaccurate film casting". ap.org (Associated Press). Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  21. ↑ Hamad, Ruby (April 1, 2014). "All lead actors in The Gods of Egypt will be white". Daily Life (Fairfax Media). Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  22. 1 2 Lee, Benjamin (November 13, 2015). "Gods of Egypt posters spark anger with 'whitewashed' cast". The Guardian. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  23. ↑ McDonald, Soraya Nadia (November 12, 2015). "'Gods of Egypt' promo posters reveal no lessons learned from ‘Exodus’ fiasco". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  24. 1 2 Mendelson, Scott (November 17, 2015). "'Gods Of Egypt,' With Gerald Butler And Chadwick Boseman, Gets A Visually Spectacular Trailer". Forbes. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  25. ↑ Diaz, Evelyn (November 18, 2015). "Another Whitewashed Movie Set in Africa Is Coming to a Theater Near You". bet.com (BET). Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  26. ↑ Lincoln, Ross A. (November 17, 2015). "'Gods Of Egypt' Trailer: The Ancient Greek Version Of Ancient Egypt?". Deadline. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  27. ↑ Mendelson, Scott (November 27, 2015). "Exclusive: Lionsgate Responds To 'Gods Of Egypt' Whitewashing Controversy". Forbes. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  28. ↑ Stone, Natalie (November 27, 2015). "'Gods of Egypt' Director, Studio Apologize Following Diverse Casting Controversy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  29. ↑ Child, Ben (November 30, 2015). "Gods of Egypt director and studio apologise for lack of diversity". The Guardian. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  30. ↑ Ordoña, Michael (December 11, 2015). "Diverse array of white actors in 'Gods of Egypt'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  31. ↑ Ball, Sarah (December 4, 2015). "Chadwick Boseman on His Steph Curry Love and the Gods of Egypt Controversy". GQ. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  32. ↑ Sturm, Rüdiger (February 2016). "Nikolaj Coster-Waldau On Surviving Five Seasons of Game of Thrones". The Red Bulletin. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  33. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (February 5, 2016). "'Gods Of Egypt' Getting 60-Second Spot In Super Bowl Pre-Game Show". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  34. ↑ Lincoln, Ross A. (February 6, 2016). "New 'Gods Of Egypt' Trailer: Lionsgate Unleashes Super Bowl Spot A Day Early". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  35. ↑ Hannley, Steve (February 17, 2016). "Gods Of Egypt Movie Tie-In Game Gets a Surprise Release". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  36. ↑ Garris, Daniel (January 2, 2016). "Long Range Forecast: 'Gods Of Egypt' & 'Triple 9'". BoxOffice. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  37. 1 2 McClintock, Pamela (February 24, 2016). "Box-Office Preview: Big-Budget 'Gods of Egypt' Imperiled". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  38. 1 2 Lang, Brent (February 24, 2016). "Box Office: 'Gods of Egypt' Falling Flat, 'Deadpool' Still King". Variety. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Gods of Egypt". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  40. ↑ "Lionsgate's Visual Effects-Driven Event Film Gods of Egypt Rolls Out In Domestic And International IMAX® 3D Theatres February 26". prnewswire.com. PR Newswire. January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  41. 1 2 3 D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 24, 2016). "'Deadpool' Will Cuss Out 'Gods Of Egypt', 'Eddie The Eagle' & 'Triple 9' – Box Office Preview". Deadline. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  42. ↑ Staff (December 16, 2013). "Summit Sets Release Dates For 'Gods Of Egypt' 'Allegiant' & 'Step Up 5'". Deadline. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  43. ↑ McNary, Dave (April 30, 2015). "'Power Rangers' Movie Pushed Back to 2017". Variety. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  44. ↑ Tusing, David (February 1, 2016). "'Gods of Egypt' film title changed to 'Kings of Egypt'". Gulf News. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  45. ↑ Staff (February 9, 2016). "Gods of Egypt to hit theatres on Feb 26". The Statesman. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  46. ↑ McClintock, Pamela; Ford, Rebecca (February 26, 2016). "Box Office: 'Gods of Egypt' Bombing Friday for Dismal U.S. Debut". The Hollywood Reporter.
  47. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 26, 2016). "Powerless to 'Deadpool', 'Gods of Egypt' Is First 2016 Big-Budget Bomb: Friday Late Night B.O. Update". Deadline. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  48. ↑ Brevet, Brad (February 21, 2016). "'Deadpool' Tops $490M Worldwide; 'Risen', 'Witch' & 'Mermaid' Open Strong". boxofficemojo.com (Box Office Mojo). Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  49. 1 2 Driscoll, Molly (November 18, 2015). "'Gods of Egypt': A look at the popularity of action-heavy mythology movies". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  50. ↑ Mendelson, Scott (February 19, 2016). "Box Office: Does 'Gods Of Egypt' Deserve To Bomb?". Forbes. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  51. ↑ Nancy Tartaglione (February 28, 2016). "‘Gods Of Egypt’ Bow To $24.2M; ‘Zootopia’ Hops With $30M in 3rd Frame – Intl B.O.". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  52. ↑ Sun, Rebecca (November 9, 2015). "China's Le Vision Acquires Lionsgate's 'Gods of Egypt,' Unveils 10-Film Slate". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  53. ↑ "Gods of Egypt (2016) - Release Info". Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  54. ↑ "Gods of Egypt (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  55. ↑ "Gods of Egypt reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  56. ↑ "‘Gods of Egypt’ Review: Gerard Butler Fiasco Is the Worst Thing to Hit the Nile Since Asps". The Wrap. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  57. ↑ "'Gods of Egypt': A new entry in the pantheon of mythical misfires - Chicago Sun-Times". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  58. ↑ "Look on Gods Of Egypt, ye Mighty, and be baffled". www.avclub.com. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  59. ↑ Hoffman, Jordan (2016-02-27). "Gods of Egypt review – ridiculous, offensive and tremendously fun". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  60. ↑ Lee, Benjamin (2016-03-01). "Gods of Egypt director Alex Proyas calls film critics 'diseased vultures'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  61. ↑ http://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/6770/gods-of-egypt

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