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Much like most of Dwayne Johnson’s latest movies includingBlack AdamandJungle Cruise, even his 2024 movieRed One, alongside Chris Evans failed to break even at the box office. Garnering a rather low rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and earning merely $175M against its $200M budget, Johnson’s movie turned into a major flop for the A-list duo.
However, Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans recently made headlines for achieving a significant milestone withRed One. After previously failing to impress fans and critics at the theaters, the duo surprisingly turned their 2024 movie into a major success on Amazon Prime. Hitting the streaming platform within less than a month of the film’s release, Johnson and Evans’ movie made the biggest streaming debut on Prime.
Dwayne Johnson’sRed Oneearned a massive streaming debut on Amazon Prime
While the entertainment industry is no stranger to the occasional box office flops, what happened to two of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, Dwayne Johnson andChris Evans’ 2024 movie is beyond comprehension. Despite the film’s star-studded cast, massive production budget, and a decent marketing campaign,Red Onefailed to break even at the box office.
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However, ironically, despite floundering at the global theaters,Red Onebegan breaking records on Amazon Prime. In an unexpected turn of events, after Johnson and Evans’ movie launched on Prime, within a month of its theatrical release, the 2024 project became the streamer’s biggest debut and quickly transitioned into the most-watched film on the platform.
According to reports fromTHR, after the holiday action comedy starring the DC and MCU stars was released on Amazon Prime on December 12, the movie shattered records marking Amazon MGM’s biggest opening on the streamer. Although they didn’t release exact info, the company noted that over 50M worldwide viewers watched the movie over its first four days of release on Prime.
Previously, the record was held by Jake Gyllenhaal’sRoad Housewhich had attracted 50M viewers over its first two weeks of release on the streaming platform.
However, that record seemed to be shattered byRed One,after the head of Amazon MGM Studios, Jennifer Salke revealed the strategy that helped the film make its staggering streaming debut.
Every film is different, and we are so grateful for the partnership with our filmmakers in collectively finding the right strategy to get this film in front of the widest possible audience.
With Red One, there was no doubt that strategy needed to include a theatrical release and associated marketing campaign, which drove audiences to theaters and generated awareness for the film with viewers who would ultimately tune in on Prime Video.
Stating how they releasedRed Onein theaters just for the purpose of marketing (and not necessarily for bagging box office numbers), Jennifer Salke mentioned that their strategy worked wonders. Even though the film failed at the box office—which was perhaps inevitable—Johnson and Evans’ 2024 movie surpassed people’s expectations on Amazon Prime.
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Moreover, considering how Amazon released their holiday-themed movie on the streamer specifically during the holiday season, making it just one click away from audiences,Red Oneundoubtedly witnessed staggering success on Prime Video. Eventually, with an accessible release strategy and the promise of watching a high-profile cast, the 2024 movie found a second wind on the streamer.
Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans’s 2024 movie stumbled at the box office
Meanwhile, although the movie succeeded on Amazon Prime, there’s no denying thatRed Onefailed to replicate that revenue through the box office, especially with two powerhouse stars Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, associated with the film.
Therefore, made with an estimated hefty budget of $200M, the 2024 holiday movie barely managed to gross $175M worldwide (viaThe Numbers).
The Doom of Dwayne Johnson: Red One’s Box Office Milestone Makes Joker 2 Look Like a Masterpiece
Well, it was expected thatRed Onewould find it tough to make back its production cost, considering its massive budget. But even Rock and Evans’ star power couldn’t salvage the movie’s revenue. It also failed to rescue his 2024 project from receiving underwhelming critical response. According toRotten Tomatoes, Johnson and Evans’ movie managed to earn barely a 30% approval rating from critics, on the aggregator.
Although fans hailed the movie with a 90% RT rating, the film’s box office outcome left studio executives scratching their heads. And as for Dwayne Johnson, this setback proved to be yet another disappointing addition to his recent box-office performances. Following the lukewarm reception ofBlack Adamand the failure ofJungle CruiseandRed Notice,the 2024movie failed to stop his losing streak.
Well, despite the box office failure, the movie did a few things right. Narrating the unconventional holiday tale of Santa Claus being kidnapped, only to be rescued by Dwayne Johnson’s Callum Drift, the head of North Pole security, alongside Chris Evans’ hacker Jack O’Malley,Red Oneshowcased palpable chemistry between the duo. Overall, the star cast and storyline generated strong word-of-mouth that eventually helped the movie make a record-breaking debut on Amazon Prime.
Why didRed Onefail to break Dwayne Johnson’s losing streak?
Now, after analyzingRed One’s box office performance and its staggering success on Amazon Prime, the one question that remains unanswered is why the film failed to breakDwayne Johnson‘s losing streak, despite its star power and big-budget allure. Well, it seems that while there might be multiple factors affecting its performance, one thing that significantly impacted the movie was the same old beaten-down CGI-driven, superhero-style script.
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The movie ended up being pretty much like every other Dwayne Johnson vehicle—filled with high-octane, crowd-pleasing heroic figures and storyline—which became utterly boring for anyone who’s not a fan of The Rock.
Further, other contributing factors could be Chris Evans’ out-of-box role as the hacker Jack O’Malley, whichsteered far away from his beloved portrayalof Captain America, that fans have come to expect. Moreover, while the plot was unconventional, the concept of holiday-themed action drama might have also acted as a driving factor in the film’s failure, as the genre has become saturated in recent years.
In the end, although these factors did affect the film’s success at the box office, it couldn’t stopRed Onefrom finding its audience in the streaming world. Therefore, while Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans’ movie might not have had the right ingredients for success at theaters, it surely has everything it needs to become a favorite for people looking for holiday drama in the comfort of their homes.
Red Oneis currently available to watch on Prime Video.
Krittika Mukherjee
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3217
Krittika Mukherjee is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on films, TV shows, and celebrity news with over 3,000 articles published. With an educational background in Journalism, and a keen interest in filmmaking, Krittika blends factual precision with creative flair, when crafting her editorials, or dissecting fan theories.Her coverage often includes news and analyses of critically acclaimed films, celebrity news, and franchises like the Wizarding World, LOTR, DC, and MCU—particularly Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Superheroes, and fan theories. As a Wizarding World aficionado, Krittika has spent countless hours exploring hidden backstories, unadapted book moments, spells, and trivias surrounding J.K. Rowling’s lore.An imaginative writer with a way with words, Krittika has worked as an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a web content writer for a year. She brought her experience and expertise to FandomWire to pursue her desire for sipping coffee while dissecting films and tracking celebrity drama.
