Plane
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJean-François Richet
Screenplay by
Story byCharles Cumming
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBrendan Galvin
Edited byDavid Rosenbloom
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byLionsgate
Release date
  • January 13, 2023 (2023-01-13)
Running time
107 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million[2]
Box office$74.5 million[3]

Plane is a 2023 American action thriller film directed by Jean-François Richet from a screenplay by Charles Cumming and J. P. Davis.[4] The film stars Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Yoson An, and Tony Goldwyn. The plot centers on a pilot (Butler) allying with a prisoner (Colter) to save his passengers from a hostile territory in which they make an emergency landing.

The film was announced in 2016, acquired by Lionsgate in 2019, sold to Solstice Studios in 2020, and re-acquired by Lionsgate in 2021. It was shot in Puerto Rico. Plane was released in the United States on January 13, 2023. It received generally favorable reviews from critics and has grossed $74 million worldwide.

Plot

Commercial pilot Brodie Torrance, a former RAF pilot from Scotland, flies Trailblazer Airlines Flight 119 with 14 passengers and three cabin crew members from Singapore to Honolulu via Tokyo. Among the passengers is fugitive homicide suspect Louis Gaspare, who is accompanied by an RCMP/GRC officer en route to Canada. Per a directive from one of his superiors, Brodie takes a shortcut across the South China Sea, but a lightning strike blows the plane's avionics and a flight attendant and the RCMP officer are killed during the turbulence. They make an emergency landing on a dirt strip of what turns out to be Jolo island in the Philippines.

In New York City, the board of Trailblazer calls Scarsdale, their crisis manager. He dispatches a private military unit to rescue the passengers, as the authorities are unwilling to send troops into the rebel-controlled island. Brodie goes off into the jungle for help, accompanied by Louis. At an abandoned warehouse, Brodie wires the phone to call his superiors and daughter to tell their location. He succeeds but is attacked by a rebel whom he kills. Louis also kills other rebels in the building. They encounter a site used by the rebels to make ransom videos and race back to the plane, but are beaten to it by rebel leader Datu Junmar, who kills a couple who try to escape and takes the surviving passengers and crew hostage, intending to secure large ransoms from their families.

After the group leaves, Brodie and Louis overpower remaining rebels and force them to reveal the location of their lair. Before leaving, Brodie leaves a note to inform rescue teams of the situation. At the rebel hideout, Brodie and Louis kill the guards and sneak the passengers and crew onto a bus. Brodie decides to stay behind to distract the rebels. As he is about to be executed, the rescue team arrives, inflicting heavy casualties on Junmar's men. The rescue team tells Brodie that the airline cannot send in a formal team to remove them from the island for another 24 hours, and they have insufficient contingency money to negotiate their way off the island. Brodie tells the rescue team that he has another plan.

Back at the plane, Brodie and his copilot Samuel Dele manage to fire up the plane and gather everyone inside for takeoff. Scarsdale's group sets up a Barrett M82 anti-materiele rifle for increased firepower and together with Louis fight off Junmar's men. Louis chooses to stay behind to distract Junmar's forces and allow Scarsdale's team to board the plane, preventing an attempt by Junmar and a terrorist to blow up the plane with an RPG, and he flees into the jungle with a bag of ransom money brought by the mercenaries. Angered and desperate, Junmar attempts to use another RPG in a last ditch effort to destroy the plane and wounds Brodie again, this time, in the shoulder. But Brodie (despite his injries) is able to put the plane on full throttle, allowing it to take off safely and crush Junmar under the wheels, killing him.

The plane is too damaged and too low on fuel to make a long journey, but Brodie manages to land the plane at the neighboring friendly island of Siasi. As the passengers and crew are tended to by the island's rescue team, Brodie phones his daughter, telling her he is coming home.

Cast

Gerard Butler posing with a group of Marines at Camp Pendleton in 2016
Lead actor and producer Gerard Butler

Production

On July 13, 2016, MadRiver Pictures acquired The Plane, an original pitch from novelist Charles Cumming, with Marc Butan and Di Bonaventura Pictures' Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian announced as producers.[5] In October 2019, it was reported that Gerard Butler had joined the cast and would also produce alongside Alan Siegel.[6]

In November 2019, Lionsgate Films acquired distribution rights to the film,[7][8] but in November 2020, it abandoned the project after failing to obtain production insurance that would cover a COVID-19 outbreak, as the studio did not want to risk the film's original $50 million budget,[9] and Solstice Studios acquired the rights to the film.[10] However, in May 2021, Lionsgate re-acquired the rights to The Plane, in what Andreas Wiseman from Deadline Hollywood described as a "case of high-profile Hollywood volleyball."[11]

In August 2021, Kelly Gale,[12] Mike Colter,[13] Daniella Pineda,[14] Yoson An,[15] Remi Adeleke, Haleigh Hekking, Lilly Krug, Joey Slotnick, and Oliver Trevena joined the cast.[16] Production began that same month in Puerto Rico.[17] Michael Cho, Tim Lee, Gary Raskin, Alastair Burlingame, and Vicki Dee Rock were attached to the film as Executive Producers.[18] On a podcast, Colter said the film was going to focus more on characterization than action sequences.[19] On October 11, 2021, it was reported that filming was close to finishing and that Tony Goldwyn and Paul Ben-Victor would also star.[20]

Release

The film was released in theaters in the United States on January 13, 2023, by Lionsgate. It was previously set for release on January 27, 2023.[21]

The film was released to VOD on February 3, 2023. It was later released on Blu-ray, DVD and 4K UHD on March 28, 2023.[22]

Reception

Box office

Plane grossed $32.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $42.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $74.5 million.[3]

In the United States and Canada, Plane was released alongside House Party and the wide expansion of A Man Called Otto, and was projected to gross $7–10 million from 3,023 theaters in its opening weekend.[23] The film made $3 million on its first day, including $435,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $10.2 million ($11.8 million over the four-day MLK weekend), finishing in fifth.[24] The film made $5.3 million and $3.8 million in its second and third weekends, respectively.[25][26]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of 170 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Plane charts a standard action-adventure course with its cruising altitude just a few miles above Direct-to-Video – but with Gerard Butler in the cockpit, thriller enthusiasts may still find this a fairly fun flight."[27] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[28] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an 83% positive score, with 63% saying they would definitely recommend it.[24]

Reaction in the Philippines

Filipino actor and senator Robin Padilla condemned the film's portrayal of the Philippines, pointing out how the film depicted Jolo as being run by separatists and militia, and the Philippine Army as "cowards". In real life, the Jihadist group Abu Sayyaf established their base of operations in Jolo but were not able to push out the Philippine Government's authority in the island. Their presence has also declined significantly since their peak in the 2000s.[29][30] Padilla's criticism was supported by fellow senator Ronald dela Rosa and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, who argued the film could damage the country's tourism.[31] Meanwhile, the Directors' Guild of the Philippines opposed the proposed ban, saying that it constitutes as censorship, and argued that the ban could set a precedent on the freedom of artistic expression of any depiction of the country. They also argued that the film was not a reliable commentary on the country's affairs, stating that Plane was just "mindless B-movie entertainment".[32][33]

In response, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) of the Philippines stated that it would re-evaluate the film and launch talks with the film's producers and local distributors.[34][35] On February 23 Pioneer Films, the distributor of the film, voluntarily pulled out the film from "public exhibition" in a letter to the MTRCB, saying that they intend to submit a "new version of the film for appropriate review and classification."[36]

Sequel

In February 2023, it was announced Colter will reprise his role as Louis Gaspare for a sequel titled Ship. Richet returns as an executive producer with MadRiver Pictures, Di Bonaventura Pictures and G-BASE Productions also re-teaming.[37] While Butler will not star, he may make a cameo appearance.[37]

References

  1. ↑ "Plane". AMC Theatres. December 28, 2022. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  2. ↑ Brueggemann, Tom (January 15, 2023). "'Avatar: Way of Water,' 'M3GAN,' and the MLK Holiday Mean a $100 Million Box Office Weekend". IndieWire. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Plane (2023)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  4. ↑ "The Plane". Writers Guild of America West. March 2, 2022. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (July 13, 2016). "MadRiver Pictures Nabs Action-Thriller Pitch The Plane From Novelist Charles Cumming". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  6. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (October 30, 2019). "Gerard Butler to Star in Action-Thriller The Plane from Transformers Producer". Collider. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  7. ↑ McNary, Dave (November 7, 2019). "Gerard Butler Action-Thriller The Plane Lands at Lionsgate". Variety. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  8. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (November 11, 2019). "Gerard Butler Action Pic The Plane Goes Global For MadRiver In Quickfire Market Sellout – AFM". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  9. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 11, 2020). "Reopening Hollywood: Lionsgate Disembarks Gerard Butler Pic The Plane Over COVID Insurance Concerns And Takeoff Delay". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  10. ↑ McNary, Dave (November 13, 2020). "Gerard Butler's The Plane Lands at Solstice Studios After Lionsgate's Departure". Variety. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  11. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (May 24, 2021). "Lionsgate Re-Acquires Rights To Distribute Gerard Butler Thriller The Plane After Solstice Deal Failed To Take Off". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  12. ↑ Grobar, Matt (August 2, 2021). "Newcomer Kelly Gale To Star With Gerard Butler In Lionsgate Thriller The Plane". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  13. ↑ Couch, Aaron (August 3, 2021). "Mike Colter Joining Gerard Butler in Lionsgate's The Plane (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  14. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 9, 2021). "Daniella Pineda Boards Gerard Butler's Plane For Lionsgate". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  15. ↑ Couch, Aaron (August 11, 2021). "Mulan Actor Yoson An Joins Gerard Butler in The Plane (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  16. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 12, 2021). "Gerard Butler's The Plane Taking Off With Haleigh Hekking, Remi Adeleke, Joey Slotnick & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  17. ↑ Couch, Aaron (August 12, 2021). "Remi Adeleke Joins Gerard Butler in Lionsgate's The Plane". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  18. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 12, 2021). "Gerard Butler's 'The Plane' Taking Off With Haleigh Hekking, Remi Adeleke, Joey Slotnick & More". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  19. ↑ Patten, Dominic; D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 12, 2021). "Hero Nation Podcast: Evil's Mike Colter On Paramount+ Series, Filming The Plane With Gerard Butler; Suicide Squad Box Office Blast Radius, Free Guy & Venom Sequel". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  20. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 11, 2021). "Gerard Butler Action Thriller The Plane Adds Tony Goldwyn And Paul Ben-Victor". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  21. ↑ Grobar, Matt (October 20, 2022). "'Harold And The Purple Crayon' Release Date Pushed Back By Sony". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Plane DVD Release Date". Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  23. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 11, 2023). "MLK Weekend Box Office: 'Avatar 2' & 'M3GAN' To Prevail Despite Onslaught Of Gerard Butler's 'Plane'; 'House Party' & 'Otto' Expansion". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  24. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 13, 2023). "'Avatar 2' Rules With $35M 4-day, 'M3GAN' Moves $20M+, 'Man Called Otto' A Bright Spot For Adult Pics – MLK Weekend Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Domestic 2023 Weekend 3". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  26. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 29, 2023). "'Avatar 2' Now No. 11 Among Top-Grossing US Pics Of All-Time, Bests 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' – Box Office Sunday". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Plane (2023)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Plane". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  29. ↑ Alipala, Julie S. (September 3, 2022). "AFP reduces troop presence in Sulu; improved security status cited". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Abu Sayyaf becoming a thing of the past, Wesmincom chief claims". Rappler. January 4, 2023. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Philippines calls for ban on Hollywood film Plane for 'tarnishing' its tourism reputation". South China Morning Post. February 16, 2023. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  32. ↑ Ang, Martin Joseph (February 20, 2023). "Gerard Butler's Plane may be banned for screening in Philippines". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  33. ↑ Severo, Jan Milo (February 20, 2023). "'Why trolls, historical revisionism allowed?': Filipino directors question banning of Hollywood film 'Plane'". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  34. ↑ "MTRCB to reevaluate US film 'Plane' amid complaints". ABS-CBN News. February 16, 2023. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  35. ↑ "MTRCB 'commits' to ban screening of Gerard Butler film 'Plane' in PH". Rappler. February 18, 2023. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  36. ↑ "'Plane' film distributor 'intends' to provide new version for approval after 'voluntarily' pulling out from the Philippines". GMA Integrated News. February 23, 2023. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  37. 1 2 Wiseman, Andreas; Ntim, Zac (February 13, 2023). "Mike Colter Set To Return For 'Plane' Sequel 'Ship', The Veterans & CAA Launch For EFM". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
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