‘Red One’ Earns $3.7M on Thursday & Eyes $30M Opening Weekend

by

As someone who has spent countless hours at the cinema, I must say I’ve seen quite a few films with astronomical budgets that didn’t quite live up to their potential. The latest addition to this list is “Red One,” which, despite boasting heavyweight stars like Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, seems to be struggling to find its footing at the box office.

Following a harsh critique, the movie “Red One” may not escape the naughty list, as it’s shaping up to become this year’s biggest box office bomb. Starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, the holiday action film is one of the most expensive productions of 2022, but its prospects for recouping its budget appear grim. In “Red One”, the action genre collides with the Christmas season, presenting a story where unconventional partners join forces to rescue Santa, who seems destined to distribute coal by the end of its cinematic release.

The family-oriented film has had trouble keeping viewers’ interest during its initial weekend, taking in $3.7 million on Thursday night previews (as reported by THR). Moreover, Red One anticipates a domestic three-day weekend earnings of only $30 to $35 million, which is quite low for a movie that’s said to have cost $250 million to produce, excluding the significant marketing efforts from Amazon MGM Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures. Despite the support of its star-studded cast, Red One has been fighting an uphill battle thus far to recover its substantial production costs.

The movie titled “Red One” currently holds a poor 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and while it’s too early to tell based on the Popcornemeter score, it appears that positive audience feedback may not be widespread if the box office figures are an indication. However, it’s common for family-oriented, feel-good films like “Red One” to defy initial critical reactions and financial projections. There’s a chance that this movie could gain traction at some point and potentially attract a larger audience once it becomes available on streaming platforms such as Prime Video following its theatrical run.

Why Are Movies Like ‘Red One’ So Expensive?

The main question when the astronomical budget of Red One is asked out loud is, why? $250 million puts it in the same stratosphere budget-wise as the Avengers franchise, which has grossed billions of dollars. Red One might boast an MCU star and other major actors, but it hardly sports similarly popular characters, especially in a genre as saturated as it is with Santa movies. These insane production price tags are simply not consistently bringing big box office numbers, and even sequels to major successes like Joker: Folie à Deux have struggled to find an audience. Although it seems Amazon MGM Studios was keen on putting Red One on the big screen, perhaps a lower budget and straight-to-streaming debut could have been a better option.

Certainly, it’s important to note that not every response to “Red One” has been underwhelming thus far. In fact, our MovieWeb review described it as a “refreshingly intelligent twist on Christmas folklore.” There’s still hope that it could gain traction in theaters and recoup some, if not all, of its production costs. However, due to its lackluster opening weekend, it seems unlikely that “Red One” will become an enduring franchise, despite the hype and star-studded cast. Unfortunately, Dwayne Johnson’s quest for a new major movie franchise following his unsuccessful tenure with the DCEU hasn’t been facilitated by “Red One.

Read More

2024-11-15 21:31