2023 Action Hit Climbs U.S. Streaming Charts Again Despite Sequel Cancellation

You may know him best from 300, where Gerard Butler delivers the iconic line, "This is... Sparta!"

In the 20 years since, the famed Scottish actor, 56, has gone on to star in plenty of other action films, including a recent surprise hit simply titled Plane (2023).

Made for $25 million, the juicy thriller went on to make nearly $75 million at the box office, leading to talks of a sequel. It's certified "fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes with an impressive 94% average audience score. Here's the website's synopsis of Plane:

"Pilot Brodie Torrance (Butler) saves his passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island - only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning. When most of the passengers are taken hostage by dangerous rebels, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI. In order to rescue the passengers, Torrance will need Gaspare's help, and will learn there's more to Gaspare than meets the eye.Content expanded."

In February 2023, Variety reported that Ship, a follow-up to Plane, was confirmed and would soon begin production. Colter, 49, was set to lead the film, and it wasn't clear whether Butler would also return for the sequel.

Cut to three years later, in February 2026, when The Direct reports that Ship is now officially canceled. Colter told the outlet that Butler had pulled out of the project two weeks before production was scheduled to start.

Nevertheless, it seems fans are still "on board" with the original and haven't lost interest in tuning in at home. According to Prime Video's nationwide chart, for example, Plane recently climbed to become the 5th most-watched movie on the streaming service in the U.S.

Hey, sometimes disappointing updates can help in their own unique ways. "Any publicity is good publicity," as they say.

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 4:53 PM.