Gerard Butler's Epic Action Adaptation Dethrones 2026's First Billion-Dollar Movie On Streaming

Published Jul 27, 2026, 1:47 PM EDT Adam Bentz is a senior news writer at ScreenRant, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and lists. He studied creative writing and English with a concentration in screenwriting at Southern New Hampshire University and interned as a writer/journalist for The Borgen Project, an influential organization that fights global poverty. However, one of his proudest achievements is editing a Leonardo DiCaprio freakout compilation that has over 150K views on YouTube. Adam also fancies himself an amateur film critic on his personal website. Gerard Butler's epic action adaptation has toppled 2026's first billion-dollar movie on the streaming charts. Butler has built a career in action, from appearing in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (2003) to leading the Has Fallen movies as Secret Service agent Mike Banning, and playing military leader Tullus Aufidius in Coriolanus (2011). His résumé also includes Geostorm (2017), Den of Thieves (2018), Greenland (2020), Copshop (2021), Last Seen Alive (2022), Plane, and Kandahar (both 2023). Now, one of Butler's most iconic action films is charging back into the spotlight by knocking 2026's first billion-dollar blockbuster off its streaming throne. Two decades after its debut, 300 has dethroned 2026's first billion-dollar movie on the streaming charts. Directed by Zack Snyder and based on Frank Miller's comic, the 2006 film stars Gerard Butler as King Leonidas, who leads 300 Spartans into battle against the Persian King Xerxes and his army of 300,000 soldiers at the Battle of Thermopylae in the Greco-Persian Wars. Now, 300 is No. 1 on Vudu's Top 10 movies in the United States for today, July 27. It ranks above The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Disclosure Day, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026's first billion-dollar movie), The Mandalorian and Grogu, Scary Movie, Michael (2026's second billion-dollar movie), Pacific Rim, and Obsession. Other than Gerard Butler as King Leonidas, the 300 cast also includes David Wenham as Dilios, Lena Headey as Queen Gorgo, Giovanni Cimmino as Pleistarchus, Dominic West, Vincent Regan, Tom Wisdom, Andrew Pleavin, Andrew Tiernan as Ephialtes, Rodrigo Santoro as King Xerxes, Stephen McHattie, Michael Fassbender, Peter Mensah, Kelly Craig, Tyler Neitzel, Robert Maillet, Patrick Sabongui, and Tyrone Benskin. At the time of its release, 300 reviews were generally positive, resulting in a 61% Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics calling it a straightforward yet visually stunning spectacle packed with brutal action, intense violence, and plenty of instantly memorable movie lines. The movie also has an 89% audience score. At the box office, 300 was a big hit, grossing over $468.8 million against its $65 million budget to become the 10th highest-grossing movie of 2007 behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ($963M), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ($942M), Spider-Man 3 ($896M), Shrek the Third ($813M), Transformers ($710M), Ratatouille ($624M), I Am Legend ($585M), and more. Now, two decades later, it looks like 300 is still proving its legendary status with audiences on streaming. Release Date March 9, 2007 Runtime 117 minutes Director Zack Snyder