Gerard Butler’s Biopic That Bombed at the Box Office Gets a Second Chance Thanks to a Free Streamer

Whether it’s a story powered by high-octane action and adventure or a love story that will have audiences sobbing in their theater seats, Gerard Butler is the actor that so many in Hollywood turn to for a genre-crossing leading role. And, while many of his productions have earned heaping piles of cash, there have understandably been a few flops along the way. In the case of a movie that garnered not only negative reviews from critics but also bombed at the box office, look no further in the How to Train Your Dragon star’s career than Machine Gun Preacher. While everyone loves a good underdog story about someone out there saving lives and doing good, the Marc Forster-helmed biopic just didn’t quite find its audience when it first arrived in 2011. The good news is that for those looking for some free Butler entertainment, the highly contested, floundering film will take refuge at a new streamer on December 1 when it joins Tubi’s free lineup of content.

Telling the story of Sam Childers (Butler), the movie introduces its main character as a motorcycle bike-riding, drug-using, miscreant who eventually turns his life around after finding Jesus. Now a stalwart Christian, Sam discovers the humanitarian horrors going on in Sudan and travels there to put himself in harm’s way in hopes of keeping children and their families safe from the so-called Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

Butler’s work in Machine Gun Preacher is bolstered by supporting performances from Michelle Monaghan (The Family Plan), who appears as Sam’s wife, Lynn, and Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water), in the role of Sam’s close friend, Donnie. Despite its attempts at delivering a heart-wrenching yet inspiring look at one man’s journey to better himself while helping others, Machine Gun Preacher was a massive money-losing title when it arrived in cinemas in September 2011. With a $30 million budget, the movie just crossed the $3 million line at the global box office and certainly didn’t earn any acclaim from critics, with the folks at Rotten Tomatoes slamming it with an abysmal 28% approval rating.

What’s Next for Gerard Butler?

This year has seen the return of one of Butler’s most beloved roles thanks to the arrival of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, while he also took to the sky in the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon. But, for many Butler fans, 2026 is the year they’ve long been waiting for, as his highly-anticipated Greenland 2: Migration is set to make waves on January 9. Starring Morena Baccarin, Roman Griffin Davis, and Amber Rose Revah, the Ric Roman Waugh film will continue the story previously started in the 2020 survival thriller.

Head over to Tubi on December 1 to stream Machine Gun Preacher.