Amazon MGM’s holiday action-comedy Red One, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Santa’s head of security, debuted to a lukewarm $34.1 million at the North American box office from 4,032 theaters. While this was enough to topple Venom: The Last Dance after its three-week reign, the movie’s performance still raises questions about what constitutes a success for big-budget streaming-backed films.
With a hefty production budget of $250 million and global marketing costs estimated at $100 million, Red One will need more than its domestic debut to make a significant dent in its financials.
Critics were less than impressed with Red One, with the film currently holding a dismal 33% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, audiences seemed to have a more favorable response, as evidenced by its solid “A-” grade on CinemaScore from opening-day crowds. The movie follows Santa (J.K. Simmons) being kidnapped, prompting a rescue mission led by his bodyguard (Johnson) and a skilled bounty hunter (Chris Evans). While the movie’s premise might seem lighthearted, critics argued that the film’s execution felt lackluster, with its $250 million budget overshadowing the overall charm of the holiday action-comedy.
Overseas, Red One added another $14.7 million from 75 markets, bringing its international total to $50 million and its global tally to $84.1 million by the end of its second weekend. Despite this, Amazon MGM faces growing scrutiny over the increasingly blurry line between theatrical and streaming success.
In second place, Sony's Venom 3 added $7.3 million in its fourth weekend of release, bringing its domestic total to $127.6 million. Globally, the final entry in the Venom saga has earned $436.1 million, though it still trails its predecessors Venom (2018) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), both of which performed significantly better at the box office.
Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s family-friendly The Best Christmas Pageant Ever took the No. 3 spot with $5.4 million, down 50% from its debut. The feel-good holiday film has earned $19.9 million domestically after two weekends in theaters. A24’s horror film Heretic dropped to fourth place, grossing $5.16 million and bringing its 10-day total to $20.4 million. The family film The Wild Robot rounded out the top five with $4.3 million, bringing its domestic total to $137.7 million.
With Red One struggling at the box office, the overall domestic box office is still down more than 11% from 2023 and nearly 27% from 2019, according to Comscore. However, a major shift is expected around Thanksgiving, when three highly anticipated blockbusters hit theaters: Paramount’s Gladiator II and Universal’s Wicked on Nov. 22, followed by Disney’s Moana 2 on Nov. 27. Analysts are predicting that these films will spark one of the most profitable Thanksgiving periods in recent box office history.
Ultimately, the success of Red One will likely hinge on how it performs after its theatrical run ends and transitions to streaming. If it proves popular on Prime Video, Amazon could see a significant return on its investment despite its box office underperformance. But for now, Red One’s $34 million debut stands as a reminder of the challenges faced by studios and streamers in balancing theatrical releases with an ever-growing demand for streaming content.
As Amazon and other streaming giants continue to pump money into high-budget films, the true measure of success will likely continue to shift from traditional box office revenue to a more complex combination of ticket sales, streaming views, and long-term brand building.
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