A Poster for End of Days
Film,  Podcast

Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘END OF DAYS’

Satan’s a Choir Boy Compared to Arnold

A Poster for End of Days

End of Days was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s triumphant return to the big screen after a two-year hiatus. Suffice to say, it was an odd choice of comebacks.

End of Days centers around Satan’s quest to bring about, well, the end of days by consummating his relationship with the woman destined to be the mother of his child.

It certainly has action scenes, but it’s more religious horror than anything else—unfamiliar fare for Arnold. The fisticuffs and shooting it does contain are a little underwhelming, as are its scarier elements.

Satan's True Form in End of Days

Basically, the film has an identity crisis. So despite my love for it—which I admit is rooted deeply in it being a guilty pleasure—it was not well received upon its release.

End of Days was ravaged by critics. It sits at 11% on Rotten Tomatoes with 102 reviews; and although it had a box office haul of $212 million worldwide (only $66.9 million domestically), its hefty $100 million price tag hurt its chances of being a hit.

But, hey, it’s Arnold going toe-to-toe with the Antichrist! So sit back, drink to forget with some 805 from Firestone Walker Brewing, and get ready to dance with the Devil! I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Mayor McCheese, and Chumpzilla are fist-fighting Satan’s goon squad in the rain-soaked streets of NYC!

This Week’s Segments:

  • Introduction/Plot Breakdown – Arnold versus Satan? Sounds like a win to me! (00:00)
  • Lingering Questions – We hear from our brothers in beer at Hop Nation USA and then determine what worked and didn’t work about Arnold’s big return. (39:22)
  • The “Now, You’re Playing with Power” Trivia Challenge – The Double Turn Podcast buries the Devil alive, and then I challenge the field to trivia about the movie. (58:00)
  • Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We kick off Season 4 by taking the red pill with The Matrix Resurrections! (1:08:17)

And, as always, hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids—the glut of Devil-related movies in this time period and more—from this week’s episode!

You can find this episode of Hops and Box Office Flops on Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsStitcherPodbeanSpotifyAcastTuneIniHeartRadioVurbl, and Amazon Music!

Thomas Kelly

Writer, Superman aficionado, lover of odd and underperforming sports teams, and co-host of the film adoring podcast, Hops and Box Office Flops