Gerard Butler And Jason Statham Have Competing Action Movies This Month, And I’m Wondering Who'll Come Out On Top

It’s the start of a new year, and that means it’s time to kick off the 2026 movie schedule. Though there are still some holdovers from the 2025 movie calendar I plan on checking out this month, I’m more excited about two upcoming action movies I’ve been following for way too long. Seriously, I’m all kinds of jazzed up for Gerard Butler’s Greenland 2: Migration and Jason Statham’s Shelter, and it’s getting ridiculous.

As you can imagine, for someone who loves watching movies to keep warm in the colder months, I’m going to be spending a lot of time with these two action stars (and kings of the January box office). That said, I’ve been thinking about who will come out on top. Will it be Butler in his disaster film sequel or Statham in his latest action thriller? Let’s talk it out…

Gerard Butler Has Greenland 2: Migration Opening In Early January

On January 9, Gerard Butler will reprise his role as John Garrity in Greenland 2: Migration, the long-in-the-works sequel to one of the biggest box office surprises of 2020. This movie, which takes place five years after Garrity led his family – Allison (Morena Baccarin) and Nathan (now played by Roman Griffin Davis) – to safety in a bunker deep beneath the mountainous terrain of Greenland, will see the trio attempt to find a better and more sustainable future in Europe.

Though January is typically a pretty chilly month at the box office, Butler has found a great deal of success over the years. Den of Thieves (as well as its sequel) and Plane have both become hits for the actor, and there’s no reason to think Greenland 2 will be any different. There is some competition during the film’s opening weekend, but I see this rising to the top.

Jason Statham Has Shelter Coming Out To Close The Month

On January 30, Jason Statham will kick off what could become another action franchise for himself when he stars in Shelter. As has been the case in the past, Statham will take on the role of a former assassin who is forced to go to great lengths to save a young girl from a dangerous organization he used to call home. It looks dramatic, thrilling, and action-packed, and it’s definitely something I plan on seeing on the big screen this month.

Statham has also had some success in the first month of the year, as his 2024 action thriller, The Beekeeper, mopped the floor with the competition when it opened a couple of years back. I don’t know if Shelter will reach those heights or not, but I suspect audiences will come out for some more action this January.

Regardless of the outcome this month, there are two people who will be winning no matter what. First, there’s director Ric Roman Waugh, who helmed both Greenland 2: Migration and Shelter, which is wild to think about. And then there are people like me who can’t get enough of these types of movies. It’s going to be a good time, that’s for sure…