Matthew McConaughey & Gerard Butler's Dragon Movie Is a Streaming Sensation 24 Years After Flopping in Theaters - MCE Notices | California State Portal

When one thinks of the movies of Matthew McConaughey, there’s a lot to choose from. From Dazed and Confused and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, to the Oscar-winning Dallas Buyers Club and the space-faring Interstellar, he has done a lot in his time to warrant his icon status.

Despite this, back in 2002, he teamed up with Christian Bale and Gerard Butler for one of the year’s most forgotten flops. However, what was once considered a sore thumb in both of their filmographies has surprisingly found new life on MGM+. Reign of Fire might not be a perfect film, but what it lacks in cohesion, it makes up for in cheesy dragon mayhem.

The forgotten sci-fi film just dropped on the charts on MGM+ on June 5, and landed in fourth place, per FlixPatrol. It was only behind the hit horror series From, the survival thriller series Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue, and the new original series Robin Hood.

Reign of Fire Is a Fiery Take on the Apocalypse Genre

Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the apocalyptic genre was in an upturn, with titles like Armageddon, War of the Worlds, and more. At the same time, however, it was also beginning to run into a bit of a repetition problem, as there were only so many times movies could riff on the success of The Matrix or the ever-reliable Night of the Living Dead series. Reign of Fire seems like a direct response to this criticism, as it truly does feel like its own absurd thing.

Set in the far-off year of 2020, humans are nearly driven extinct thanks to hordes of reawakened dragons and the nuclear warfare used to try to fight them off. A young man named Quinn (Bale) and his friend Creedy (Butler) are among the humans gathered in what remains between England and Scotland, although resources and morale are dwindling. When they discover a group of Americans led by the enigmatic Denton (McConaughey), they realize that the fight against the dragons might not be as hopeless as they thought.

Streaming Might Give Reign of Fire a New Breath of Life

Image via Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Back when it released in 2002, Reign of Fire underperformed at the box office and received mixed reviews, featuring a “rotten” 42% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. At the end of its theatrical run, it brought in around $82 million against a budget of $60 million, according to Box Office Mojo, barely covering its investment. Because of this, talks of a sequel seemingly tapered off at the time.

However, this doesn’t discount the small cult fandom Reign of Fire has since developed, mainly due to the over-the-top concept and cutting-edge technology used for the dragons. While it may not be a so-bad-it’s-good movie, it might be time for it to be given a proper reevaluation. It already has the makings of a cult classic.

Reign of Fire is currently streaming on MGM+.