| Gods of Egypt | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Alex Proyas |
| Written by | Matt Sazama Burk Sharpless |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Peter Menzies Jr. |
| Edited by | Richard Learoyd |
| Music by | Marco Beltrami |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Lionsgate (United States)[1] Entertainment One (Australia)[1] |
Release dates |
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Running time | 127 minutes[2] |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $140 million[4] |
| Box office | $150.6 million[1] |
Gods of Egypt is a 2016fantasyaction film directed byAlex Proyas based on a fantastical version ofancient Egyptian deities. It starsNikolaj Coster-Waldau,Brenton Thwaites,Chadwick Boseman,Élodie Yung,Courtney Eaton,Rufus Sewell,Gerard Butler andGeoffrey Rush. The film follows the Egyptian godHorus, who partners with a mortal Egyptian thief, on a quest to rescue his love and to save the world fromSet.[5]
Filming took place inAustralia under the film production and distribution companySummit Entertainment in conjunction withThunder Road Pictures and Proyas' production company Mystery Clock Cinema. While the film's production budget was$140 million, the parent companyLionsgate's financial exposure was less than $10 million because of 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 predominantlywhite cast playing Egyptian deities. In response, Lionsgate and director Proyas apologized for their ethnically-inaccurate casting.
Lionsgate releasedGods of Egypt in theaters globally, starting onFebruary 25, 2016, in 2D,RealD 3D, andIMAX 3D, and in the United States, Canada, and 68 other markets onFebruary 26. It received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed a total of $150.7 million against a $140 million budget, becoming abox office bomb and losing $90 million for Lionsgate. It received five nominations at the37th Golden Raspberry Awards.
Inancient Egypt, where thegods live among the mortalhumans,thief Bek and his lover Zaya attend the coronation of KingOsiris's son,Horus. However, Osiris is killed by hisjealous brotherSet, who then defeats Horus and takeshis eyes. Set proclaims himself the new king and commands humans to pay riches to pass into theafterlife.
One year later, with Egypt enslaved by Set and Isis having committedsuicide, Zaya steals plans for Set'spyramid from chief architect Urshu. Bek uses the plans to infiltrate Set's treasure vault and steals one of Horus's eyes, but he and Zaya are caught by Urshu, who kills Zaya as she and Bek try to escape. Bek takes her body to the exiled Horus along with the eye and promises to help find the other if he brings Zaya back from the dead. Meanwhile, Set launches an assault on the rebels and claims thewings of his wifeNephthys.
Bek and Horus visit thesolar barque of Horus's grandfatherRa, who is neutral about matters in Egypt and in conflict with the shadow beastApophis, which threatens to devour the world. Ra does not restore Horus's power but allows him to take a vial ofdivine waters to weaken Set. Ra explains that Horus's loss of his powers is the result of not fulfilling his destiny, which Horus believes means avenging his parents' deaths.
Returning to Egypt, Bek and Horus escape fromMnevis, who is then killed by Set for failing to stop them. Set ordersHathor to take him to the underworld, but she refuses and joins Bek and Horus after rescuing them fromAstarte andAnat. They hatch a plan to infiltrate Set's pyramid, recruitingThoth to solve the riddle of the guardiansphinx. Passing the pyramid's entryway and the sphinx's riddle, they reach the source of Set's power, but before using the divine water they are ambushed by Set, who incapacitates Thoth and takes hisbrain, traps Horus and Hathor and destroys the water vial. Horus breaks the trap and Hathor calls onAnubis to take Bek to save Zaya, offering her bracelet as Zaya's payment for passage to the afterlife, but in doing so exiles herself to the underworld.
Absorbing Thoth's brain, Osiris'sheart, Horus'seye, and Nephthys' wings, Set confronts Ra aboard his solar barge. Ra explains Set's mistreatment and impotency was a test to prepare him to take Ra's place as defender of the world against Apophis. Dismayed, Set decides to destroy the afterlife to become immortal and uses his new powers to overpower Ra. Set takes Ra'sspear and throws him from the barge, freeing Apophis to consume the mortal and underworld realms. As Apophis attacks, Anubis closes thegates to the afterlife. Not wanting an afterlife without Bek, Zaya refuses Hathor's gift and encourages Bek to return to Egypt and help Horus defeat Set.
As Horus battles Set atop anobelisk, Bek kills Urshu before removing Horus's other eye from Set's armor, mortally wounding himself in the process. Regaining his power to transform, Horus flies after Bek, realizing his true destiny is to protect his people. With renewed strength, Horus outmaneuvers and kills Set. Finding Ra wounded in the aether, Horus returns his spear, healing Ra enough to repel Apophis and Anubis to reopen the gates.
A child returns Horus's other eye and the god lays Bek in Osiris's tomb beside Zaya. For his deeds, Ra offers to bestow Horus with any power and Horus asks that Bek and Zaya be brought back to life. Ra restores Bek and Zaya, as well as the gods who had not already passed into the afterlife. Horus is crowned king and declares access to the afterlife will be paid with good deeds in life. Bek is madechief advisor and gives Hathor's bracelet to Horus, who leaves to retrieve her from the underworld.
In addition:Lindsay Farris provides as the voice of an older Bek who narrates the film. Yaya Deng andAbbey Lee also appear asAstarte andAnat, goddesses ofwar who are loyal to Set and ride giant fire-breathingcobras. Goran D. Kleut provides the voice and motion-capture ofAnubis, thejackal-headed Egyptian god who leads Zaya into the underworld.Alexander England provides the voice and motion capture ofMnevis, the leader of the EgyptianMinotaurs that work for Set and can assume a human form. Kenneth Ransom provides the voice and motion capture of the riddle-givingSphinx that guards the entrance to Set's pyramid.
... the world ofGods 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 asStar 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.
Gods of Egypt is directed byAlex Proyas based on a screenplay byMatt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. The film was produced underSummit Entertainment. Proyas was contracted by Summit in May 2012, to write the screenplay with Sazama and Sharpless, and to direct the film.[7] Proyas said he sought to make abig-budget film with an original premise, to contrast franchise films. The director cited the following films as influences onGods of Egypt:The Guns of Navarone (1961),Lawrence of Arabia (1962),The Man Who Would Be King (1975),Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), andSergio Leone'sWestern films.[8]Lionsgate anticipated thatGods of Egypt would be the first film in a new franchise after it finished releasingThe Hunger Games films.
ActorNikolaj Coster-Waldau was cast in June 2013.[9]Gerard Butler,Geoffrey Rush, andBrenton Thwaites joined the cast toward the end of 2013.[10]Chadwick Boseman andÉlodie Yung joined the cast at the start of 2014.[11]
The film was shot inAustralia. A crew of 200 began pre-production inSydney inNew South Wales, and producers considered filming inMelbourne,Victoria, to take advantage of the state's tax incentive.Docklands Studios Melbourne was too booked to accommodateGods of Egypt, and producers were instead offered an airport facility for production.[12] The Australian states ofNew South Wales and Victoria competed to be the location of the film's production, and Summit selected New South Wales in February 2014. New South Wales Deputy PremierAndrew Stoner estimated that the production would add 400 jobs to the state and contribute$75 million to its economy.[13][nb 1]
Principal photography began onMarch 19, 2014 atFox Studios Australia in Sydney.[14] The setting ofAnubis' temple was filmed atCentennial Park in Sydney, and visual effects were laid over the scene.[15] The production budget was$140 million. Jon Feltheimer, the CEO of Summit's parent companyLionsgate, said Lionsgate's financial exposure was under$10 million due to tax incentives of filming in Australia, as well as foreign pre-sales.[16][17] 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.[4]
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 usedforced perspective andmotion control photography to portray the difference in height between the actors portraying the gods and the humans. Proyas called the logistical challenge a "reverseHobbit", referring toThe Lord of the Rings films, in which Hobbits are depicted as shorter than humans.[6] For the sphinx, actor Kenneth Ransom portrayed the giant creature viamotion 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.[15]
| Gods of Egypt: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | February 16, 2016 (2016-02-16) | |||
| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 75:04 | |||
| Label | Varese Sarabande | |||
| Producer | Marco Beltrami | |||
| Marco Beltrami chronology | ||||
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ComposerMarco Beltrami, who scored Proyas's previous filmsKnowing (2009) andI, Robot (2004), returned to scoreGods of Egypt.[6]
White actors, predominantly ofNorthwestern European descent, make up most of the principal cast ofGods of Egypt. When Lionsgate began marketing the film, theAssociated 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 preemptivemea culpa... others were more skeptical, concluding that it's simply meant to shut down any further backlash."[18]
The casting practice of white actors as Ancient Egyptian characters was first reported after filming started in March 2014, whenDaily Life's Ruby Hamad highlighted the practice as "Hollywood whitewashing".[19] Lionsgate released a set of character posters in November 2015, andThe Guardian reported that the casting received a backlash onTwitter over the predominantly white cast. Some suggested that the casting of black actor Chadwick Boseman, who plays the god Thoth, played into theMagical Negro stereotype. The previous year, the biblical epicExodus: Gods and Kings by directorRidley Scott received similar backlash for having a white cast.[20][nb 2]The Washington Post'sSoraya Nadia McDonald also disparaged the casting practice forGods of Egypt and said Lionsgate released the posters at an unfortunate time. She said with the release ofAziz Ansari's TV seriesMaster of None in the previous week, "Whitewashed casting and the offensiveness ofbrownface 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."[21]
When Lionsgate followed its release of posters with a release of a theatrical trailer, Scott Mendelson atForbes 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.[22]BET's Evelyn Diaz said while Ridley Scott had defended his casting practice forExodus 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."[23]Deadline's Ross A. Lincoln said of the released trailer, "Casting here stands out like a sore thumb leftover from1950s Hollywood. I suspect this film generates a lot of conversation before it hits theaters February 26, 2016."[24]
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 ofForbes said the apologies were "a somewhat different response" than defenses made by Ridley Scott forExodus andJoe Wright forPan (2015).[25]Ava DuVernay, who directedSelma (2014), said, "This kind of apology never happens... for something that happens all the time. An unusual occurrence worth noting."[26]The Guardian's Ben Child said, "The apologies are remarkable, especially given thatGods of Egypt does not debut in cinemas until 26 February and could now suffer at the box office."[27] Michael Ordoña ofSan Francisco Chronicle said of the apologies, "That's little comfort to the nonwhite actors denied opportunities or theEgyptians who will see a pale shadow of their ancestral traditions."[28] TheCasting Society of America applauded the statements from Lionsgate and Proyas. ProfessorTodd Boyd, chairman 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."[18]
Boseman, who plays the god Thoth, commenting on the whitewashing by saying that he expected the backlash to happen when he saw the script: "I'mthankful 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."[29] 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."[30]
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 thatGods 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."[8] After the film was critically panned, Proyas said, "I guess I have the knack of rubbing reviewers the wrong way. This time of course they have bigger axes to grind – they can rip into my movie while trying to make their mainly pale asses look so politically correct by screaming 'white-wash!!!'"[31]
Lionsgate spent an estimated$30 million on marketing the film.[4] 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.[20] Later in the month, it released a theatrical trailer.[22] Lionsgate aired a 60-second spot forGods of Egypt during thepre-game show of theSuper Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016,[32] though they released the trailer online a day earlier.[33]
In the week before the film's release, Lions released thetie-inmobile gameGods of Egypt: Secrets of the Lost Kingdom oniOS andAndroid.[34]
BoxOffice forecast two months in advance thatGods 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 movie-goers who sawClash of the Titans,Wrath of the Titans, and thePercy Jackson films. Admissions to 3D screenings would help boostGods of Egypt's gross. The magazine said factors negatively affecting 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 withLondon Has Fallen opening the following weekend.[35]
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.[4]The Hollywood Reporter's Pamela McClintock said it was tracking to gross between$12 million and$15 million.[36] 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 of300 (2007) andImmortals (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.[4]The Hollywood Reporter's McClintock said "ancient epics" in recent years had not performed well at the box office, citing the 2014 filmsHercules,The Legend of Hercules, andPompeii.[36]
Ryan Faughnder of theLos Angeles Times said in the week before the film's release that the expected opening weekend gross meant that Lionsgate's plans to makeGods 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.[37]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]
The film was released on May 31, 2016, on DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray byLionsgate Home Entertainment.[39]
Gods of Egypt grossed $31.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $119.6 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $150.7 million against a production budget of $140 million[1] with Lionsgate losing up to $90 million on the film when factoring together all expenses and revenues, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.[40] In August 2024, over eight years after its release,Deadline Hollywood reported the film had finally managed tobreak-even following its fifth and sixth home release windows.[41]
Lionsgate releasedGods of Egypt in theaters globally starting onFebruary 25, 2016.[3] It was released in 2D,RealD 3D,[42] andIMAX 3D.[43] Lionsgate released the film in the United States and Canada on the weekend of February 26–28, as well as in 68 other markets,[44][nb 3] includingRussia,South Korea, andBrazil.[38] Jaguar Films released the film in theUnited Arab Emirates (February 25) and other countries in the Middle East under the titleKings of Egypt.[47]Viacom18 Motion Pictures released the film in India onFebruary 26, 2016 in four languages: English,Hindi,Tamil, andTelugu, while 9ers Entertainment released the film in South Korea on March 3.[48]
In the United States and Canada, the film was released in3,117 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.[49] It went on to gross $14.1 million in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office behindDeadpool ($31.5 million).[50] It competed with fellow newcomersEddie the Eagle andTriple 9, as well as withDeadpool, which opened two weekends earlier.[51] Opening-day audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.[50]The Christian Science Monitor's Molly Driscoll said theGods of Egypt's US release was during "a traditionally quiet time at the box office".[52] Scott Mendelson ofForbes commented on supporting versus opposing a successful debut of the film, as "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."[53]
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.[54] Top openings were in Russia ($4.3 million), Brazil ($1.9 million) and Philippines ($1.7 million).[1]
Le Vision Pictures acquired rights from Lionsgate in November 2015 to distributeGods of Egypt in China,[55] and released the film there onMarch 11, 2016.[44] China was the film's largest territory, withUS$35.6 million.[56]Entertainment One also released the film in the United Kingdom onJune 17, 2016.[57]
Gods of Egypt received negative reviews from critics.[58] OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 15% based on 193 reviews, with an average rating of 3.7/10.[59]Metacritic gives the film a score of 25 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[60]
Alonso Duralde ofTheWrap 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-goodschadenfreude 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."[61] Joycelyn Noveck of theChicago 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."[62]Ignatiy Vishnevetsky ofThe A.V. Club calledGods of Egypt "overlong and very silly," and said: "A treasure trove of gilded fantasy bric-a-brac and clashing accents, Proyas'sword-and-sandalsspace opera is a head above the likes ofWrath 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."[63]
Jordan Hoffman ofThe 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."[64] Olly Richards ofEmpire was heavily critical, calling the film a "catastrophe" and "theDolly Parton of movies, without any of the knowing wit".[65]
In response to the reviews, director Proyas posted toFacebook 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."[66]
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AACTA Awards (6th) | Best Original Music Score | Marco Beltrami | Nominated |
| Best Sound | Wayne Pashley, Peter Grace, Derryn Pasquill, Fabian Sanjurjo, Greg P. Fitzgerald and Peter Purcell | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Liz Palmer | Nominated | |
| Best Visual Effects or Animation | Eric Durst, Jack Geist, Andrew Hellen, James Whitlam and Julian Dimsey | Nominated | |
| Best Hair and Makeup | Lesley Vanderwalt, Lara Jade Birch and Adam Johansen | Nominated | |
| Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Picture | Alex Proyas andBasil Iwanyk | Nominated |
| Worst Director | Alex Proyas | Nominated | |
| Worst Actor | Gerard Butler | Nominated | |
| Worst Screen Combo | Any two Egyptian gods or mortals | Nominated | |
| Worst Screenplay | Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless | Nominated | |
| Houston Film Critics Society | Worst Film | Basil Iwanyk and Alex Proyas | Nominated |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
