After three weeks at the top of the box office in the U.S., Sony Pictures' SSU threequel Venom: The Last Dance has finally been dethroned - but the movie that claimed the No. 1 spot from the Lethal Protector didn't exactly make a huge splash.
Amazon MGM's holiday-themed fantasy adventure, Red One, took in around $11 million on Friday (this includes $3.7 million from Thursday previews), and is now on track to make an estimated $30 million over the weekend.
This wouldn't usually be considered a particularly disappointing bow, but with a reported budget of over $250 million, it might take a Christmas miracle for the movie to turn a profit for the studio.
Red One could perform better overseas, and it is the only major new release this weekend. Audiences also seem to be enjoying the movie, as it has received a surprisingly positive A- CinemaScore.
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 now playing, and will stream on Prime Video at a later date. Do you plan on seeing this one on the big screen?