Box Office: Dwayne Johnson-Chris Evans’ Christmas Pic Battling for $30M Opening

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As a seasoned gamer who has seen his fair share of blockbusters and Hollywood spectacles, I must say the news about Red One hitting the big screen is nothing short of exhilarating! The star-studded cast, the action-packed adventure, and the holiday theme are all elements that promise an unforgettable cinematic experience.

On the first day of its release, Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans’ film “Red One” led the domestic box office, earning approximately $11 million. The query now remains if it will reach its goal and open with an impressive $30 million.

As a gamer, I’ve always found that weekends are the perfect time for movie marathons. On Fridays, there’s usually something big happening like the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight on Netflix, but interestingly, most of the Red One ticket buyers on opening day were male, making up around 54%.

Over the weekend, the movie titled “Red One” is screening across a grand total of 4,032 North American theaters, including Imax, Dolby Cinema, and other premium large-format venues. Despite mixed reviews from critics who weren’t fond of the action-adventure film, audiences seem to love it, awarding it an A- rating on CinemaScore. Initially, Amazon had planned to release this movie directly onto Prime Video but decided instead to give it a theatrical release as a gesture of support for cinema exhibitors, hoping to generate more business for them.

Looking forward to a peaceful weekend, I was intrigued to find out that the new movie from Seven Bucks Productions was predicted to rake in around $30 million to $35 million domestically. Warner Bros. Pictures is taking care of the overseas distribution, cleverly scheduling the release of Red One a week ahead of Paramount’s Gladiator II, which is premiering internationally this weekend. Ridley Scott’s sequel to Gladiator could potentially earn up to $80 million or more in its foreign debut, avoiding a head-on collision with our movie domestically.

The financial success of “Red One” will be closely analyzed, given that it cost $250 million to produce. Typically, films with such a high budget would face intense scrutiny from major studios if they opened to similar figures. However, Amazon argues its business approach differs and is driven more by subscribers than just box office returns. Furthermore, they hope “Red One” will be a hit during the year-end holidays and eventually become a cherished holiday classic for many years.

Nevertheless, it would be a disappointment if it doesn’t clear $30 million.

Since the pandemic, ‘Red One’ marks the first real holiday film to screen in theaters, following the release of ‘The Grinch’ in 2018.

A family-friendly adventure unfolds when Santa Claus, known undercover as “Red One,” gets kidnapped. The head of security at the North Pole, named Johnson, then partners with the world’s most notorious bounty hunter, Evans, in an international, high-octane quest to rescue Christmas as described by Amazon MGM.

The movie titled Red One is helmed by Jake Kasdan, with a screenplay penned by Chris Morgan and a story conceived by Hiram Garcia. Joining the cast are Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju, Nick Kroll, Wesley Kimmel, and J.K. Simmons. In America, it has been given a PG-13 rating, although domestic reviews have not been particularly favorable.

The movie titled “Red One” kicks off a lineup of major films scheduled for the end of the year, aiming to restore the box office to Santa’s good list following a challenging fall period due to scarcity of releases. Upcoming in this series are Universal’s “Wicked” and Paramount’s “Gladiator II“, slated for release on November 22, followed by Walt Disney Animation’s “Moana 2” on November 27. (These films have been referred to as the “Moanapocalypse” or the “Glicked Corridor.”)

Numbers will be updated Sunday morning.

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2024-11-16 20:24