When Greenland was released in 2020, not many expected much from the Gerard Butler disaster flick. Butler had become known for standard action fare, with his Olympus Has Fallen franchise and Den of Thieves films, and his last disaster movie, Geostorm, was a shallow spectacle. Therefore, when audiences saw meteors burning up as they tore through the sky, crashing down around Butler in the Greenland trailer, many collectively rolled their eyes.
Yet Greenland beat the odds, proving to mix emotion with bombastic thrills and finding an audience to help drive enough interest for a sequel. Now that Greenland 2: Migration is headed to theaters, it’s poised to subvert fan expectations like its predecessor, sneaking under the radar as another bit of disaster-filled fun. After all, how can a sequel raise the stakes when the original destroyed the world?
‘Greenland’ Was Far From a Disaster
STX Films
The world tried to keep Greenland down, as it was poised for release with a prime summer date in June 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the date being moved several times before the disaster feature finally debuted in December 2020 via a VOD release. Greenland‘s entire box office gross comes from international releases, with it making $52.3 million. Its VOD numbers were also quite impressive, with estimates placing it between $20 and $30 million, which is nothing to scoff at considering the movie’s $35 million budget. The Butler-starring action movie even pulled in at least $20 million from streaming rights deals, highlighting its draw for studios. While the financial returns on Greenland were enough to justify a sequel, it also earned respectable reviews.
It’s not often that a CGI-filled disaster movie can satisfy critics in the same way that paying audiences may be satiated by the spectacle. Yet, Greenland broke the mold, nabbing an impressive 77% Fresh rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. While the critics weren’t hailing it as high art, most found it a far more emotionally impactful story than expected, set against the harsh B-movie realities of a potential apocalypse. Even audiences found Greenland to be a notch above Butler’s standard fare, noting the tense journey that rarely lets up. Given that Greenland beat the odds and found an audience, a sequel was a no-brainer.
How Will ‘Greenland 2’ Top a World-Killing Comet?
A lightning strike in Greenland 2: MigrationLionsgate
Unlike the first film, Greenland 2: Migration is getting its chance to play in theaters starting January 9. The first movie told the story of the Garrity family, with Butler starring alongside Morena Baccarin as his spouse and Roger Dale Floyd as their son. While there are some great details at play, the plot is simple enough, with a comet barreling toward Earth, poised to destroy life as they know it, spurring a desperate journey for the family to reach the safety of a bunker in Greenland. The family was seen surviving the ordeal, with the movie leaving audiences with a glimmer of hope for the future.
Greenland 2 is again following the Garrity family, with the story set 5 years after the last movie. With survival still a daily struggle, the family must leave their home in the bunker and make a perilous journey across a destroyed Europe in hopes of finding a safer home. Butler and Baccarin are back for the sequel, with Snitch and Shot Caller director Ric Roman Waugh returning after helming the first Greenland. The sequel will pit the family against harsh new frozen environments, new human threats, and a distinctly more difficult journey than the first movie. Greenland 2 will also uniquely show audiences the state of the world alongside the Garrity family, allowing viewers to discover the new horrors alongside them.
‘Greenland 2’ Has One Big Problem That Still Needs To Be Explained
One of the biggest questions audiences still have about Greenland pertains to Butler’s son. Greenland saw him disqualified from the bunker because of his Type 1 Diabetes. The movie also features a heavy focus on his need for insulin, as Butler has to go back for it, leading to tense sequences in which the family is separated during the disaster. When the family reaches the bunker, they are shown surviving until it is reopened 9 months later. The son’s survival to this point relies on the audience believing that there was enough insulin in the bunker to sustain him during that time period.
With the sequel taking place 5 years after the first movie, and the trailer showing the son still alive and well, Greenland 2 still needs to explain his insulin supply. The world has crumbled following the comet’s impact, making the production of more insulin feel like a chore. The bunker was gathering the best and brightest to give humanity a chance to survive, so there’s always a chance a doctor is present who knows how, but that is based on assumptions. The most notable problem is that insulin has a shelf life, and freezing it isn’t a viable option. Therefore, Greenland 2 may have to include some exposition on his survival to explain what could otherwise be seen as a plot hole.
What Greenland 2 ultimately has in store for audiences remains to be seen. Still, with the first movie’s surprise financial returns and audience-pleasing antics, there is plenty to be excited about in the forthcoming Butler disaster flick. Greenland 2 may not end up among the best movies of 2026. Yet, the disaster sequel comes from the same people who subverted genre expectations the first time around, making it an exciting prospect for the post-apocalyptic follow-up.
Release Date
January 9, 2026
Runtime
98 Minutes
Director
Ric Roman Waugh
