The Disaster Movie That Convinced 10% of America the World Was Ending Is Back

Roland Emmerich has built his reputation on large-scale disaster films. He’s responsible for sci-fi hits like Independence Day (1996) and Godzilla (1998), and followed those with The Day After Tomorrow, which starred Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal. More recently he directed several episodes of the Peacock series Those About to Die, after a pair of movies—Midway and Moonfall—that failed at the box office and earned poor reviews.

Still, many consider 2012, the 2009 disaster epic, the most divisive title of his career; it follows a frustrated writer trying to keep his family alive amid global catastrophes. The film drew inspiration from a misunderstanding of a Mayan calendar that convinced people the world would end on December 21, 2012, and a survey found 10% of viewers experienced heightened anxiety that the events might come true.

2012 recently began streaming on Disney+ globally and is charting in the service’s global top 10, though it was not streaming anywhere in America at the time of writing.

United States

roland emmerich, 2012 movie, mayan calendar, disney+, apocalypse anxiety, independence day, godzilla, dennis quaid, jake gyllenhaal, moonfall