Jumanji director Jake Kasdan's Christmas-themed fantasy adventure, Red One, arrived in theatres today, and things are not looking good for the critically-panned movie's opening weekend at the domestic box office.
After taking in just $3.7 million in Thursday previews, the Amazon MGM film is on track to make between $30 million and $35 million this weekend, with some projections as low at $25 million. Taking a massive budget of $250 million (plus marketing costs) into account, and analysts believe it’ll take a Christmas miracle for Red One to turn a profit.
The movie could perform better overseas, of course, and it is the only major new release this weekend, so it should comfortably take the No. 1 spot from the surprisingly resilient Venom: The Last Dance.
Though the movie does have its share of defenders, Red One currently sits at 33% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 106 reviews. "Wrapped in slick packaging but wholly lacking in holiday magic, Red One is a ho-ho-hum action-adventure," reads the site's critics' consensus.
Dwayne Johnson stars as a North Pole security agent who teams-up with a skilled but "naughty" bounty hunter (Chris Evans) to track down and rescue an impressively jacked Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) when he's kidnapped by a group of unknown assailants.
"With Red One, our intention was to make a movie that you can enjoy on the biggest screen possible," Johnson recently said of the movie. "Legitimately the biggest screens possible are IMAX. I was midway through shooting Red One and I had an opportunity to see Oppenheimer. I watched in the IMAX theater where Christopher Nolan watches and screens his movies."
"Him and Emma [Thomas], his wife. I even asked to let me sit where Chris sits. They said, 'Chris sits here.' I watch Oppenheimer. It was amazing, but I was thinking: 'Holy shit. 'Red One' on this screen and with this technology could be game over. I remember texting [director Jake Kasdan] a picture of my bare chest and a picture of the screen and we realized how cool [IMAX] would be."
"When a villain kidnaps Santa Claus from the North Pole, an E.L.F. (Extremely Large and Formidable) operative joins forces with the world's most accomplished tracker to find him and save Christmas."
The cast also features Lucy Liu (Kill Bill: Vol. 1; Charlie's Angels), Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina; Mad Men), Bonnie Hunt (The Green Mile; Jumanji), Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones; The Fate of the Furious), Nick Kroll (Big Mouth; Don't Worry Darling), and Wesley Kimmel (The Book of Boba Fett; Good Girls).
Red One is set to hit theaters on November 15 and will stream on Prime Video at a later date.