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‘Ready Player One’ Meets ‘Dexter’ in Gerard Butler’s Brutal Sci-Fi Thriller Officially Streaming for Free
Gerard Butler’s 2009 science-fiction action film *Gamer* is due to arrive on the free streaming service Plex next month. The article presents the film as a commercial failure that has since gained a more positive reputation, with its themes now seen as ahead of their time.
Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, *Gamer* stars Butler alongside Ludacris, Terry Crews, Logan Lerman and Michael C. Hall. It made $42 million worldwide against a reported $50 million budget, while Butler’s more recent releases have had sharply different fortunes: *How to Train Your Dragon* earned $650 million globally, whereas *Greenland 2: Migration* took in about half its reported $90 million budget.
In short
- *Gamer* will stream free on Plex next month.
- The 2009 film earned $42 million against a $50 million budget.
- The article says its themes have since been reassessed.
Explained simply
Gamer is a science-fiction action film directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor and released in 2009. It stars Gerard Butler as a prisoner forced to fight in a televised contest controlled by people playing from their homes; Ludacris, Terry Crews, Logan Lerman and Michael C. Hall also appear.
The film connects online gaming with questions about who controls people’s actions and how entertainment can exploit them. It earned less at the cinema than its reported production budget, but the article says its reputation has improved as audiences have revisited those ideas.
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