For every blockbuster hit there’s a box office bomb, but few films are so bad that they prompt an apology from the director. A notorious fantasy movie that hit theaters in 2016 stirred plenty of controversy not just for its weak script but also because it was so offensive it sparked a response from the studio and director – and it’s about to leave Netflix.
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Netflix subscribers only have a few more days to stream Alex Proyas’ disastrously star-studded fantasy action film Gods of Egypt. The movie, which marks Proyas’ most recent feature film, stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Brenton Thwaites, Chadwick Boseman, Élodie Yung, Courtney Eaton, Rufus Sewell, Gerard Butler, Geoffrey Rush, and Bryan Brown in an epic tale of ancient Egyptian deities. The movie is scheduled to depart Netflix on December 7th, meaning subscribers only have four more days to watch it as of this posting.
Gods of Egypt Controversy Explained
Almost as soon as promotional materials for Gods of Egypt were released, the film found itself embroiled in controversy over what many deemed a whitewashed cast. The movie featured a predominantly white group of actors portraying ancient Egyptian gods and mortals, and no actors of Egyptian heritage were cast in a primary role.
The significant backlash eventually prompted Proyas to issue a statement apologizing for the lack of racial diversity, the director acknowledging, per The Hollywood Reporter, that “the process of casting a movie has many complicated variables, but it is clear that our casting choices should have been more diverse. I sincerely apologize to those who are offended by the decisions we made.” Lionsgate also apologized, sharing in a statement, “We recognize that it is our responsibility to help ensure that casting decisions reflect the diversity and culture of the time periods portrayed. In this instance we failed to live up to our own standards of sensitivity and diversity, for which we sincerely apologize.”
That was just the beginning of Gods of Egypt’s troubled release. The movie was a massive box office bomb that was torn to shreds by critics and audiences alike, scoring just a 15% critic score and a 37% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes to become Proyas’ lowest-rated movie ever. The film’s lack of diversity continued to be a point of contention, and audiences and critics also took issue with the film’s muddled, nonsensical plot and overdone CGI. As reviews trickled in, Proyas all but went to war with critics on Facebook, decrying them as “a pack of diseased vultures pecking at the bones of a dying carcass. Trying to peck to the rhythm of the consensus.” He went on to throw insults ranging from “deranged idiots” to “less than worthless,” and hit out at reviewers who “have no personal taste or opinion” and wouldn’t go “against consensus.”
Gods of Egypt ultimately hasn’t aged very well and isn’t looked upon any kinder, though it has managed to find some renewed success on streaming. The movie even broke onto Netflix’s streaming charts when it joined the platform back in August.
Where to Stream Gods of Egypt It Leaves Netflix?
It’s the name of the game in streaming – titles leave as licenses expire and new titles arrive. Thankfully, this usually just boils down to a bit of platform shuffling, and sometimes several platforms stream the same title at once. That is the case for Gods of Egypt, which also streams on both Prime Video and Pluto TV.
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