- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
In a lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Gerard Butler alleges being owed at least $10 million from the success of Olympus Has Fallen, the 2013 blockbuster about an assault on the White House.
Butler brings a fraud claim with the assertion that defendants Nu Image, Millennium Media and Padre Nuestro Productions never intended to pay him net profits. The film has grossed about $170 million worldwide, yet he says he hasn’t seen a penny in net profits, with an audit of accounting statements raising flags in multiple areas on the revenue side, both domestically and foreign.
The actor nods to how the producers are currently fighting with the DGA over pension payments and states that Nu Image and Millennium are deducting residuals never paid out.
The suit also attacks a “comprehensive, premeditated scheme” to allegedly hide money and deprive Butler of net profits with word of agreements with distributors structured so that not all gross receipts have to be reported. The case is being handled by attorneys at Greenberg Glusker.
A spokesperson for Nu Image provided the following response: “There is no merit to Mr. Butler’s claim. Nu Image has been open and transparent with Mr. Butler and his representatives about the revenue of Olympus Has Fallen which was released in 2013. Nu Image provided participation statements to Mr. Butler and those statements were audited by Mr. Butler’s auditors in 2015 and 2016. The statements fully comply with the terms of Mr. Butler’s agreement, resulting in no overages being due. After over 8 years of our cooperation with Mr. Butler and his representatives on this matter, we are very disappointed that Mr. Butler has now decided to act in this manner.”
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day