Los Angeles — This past weekend, film enthusiasts seemed to be lacking the holiday cheer, especially when it came to “Red One.” The high-budget action-comedy featuring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans earned $34.1 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend, as reported by studio estimates on Sunday. While this amount led the box office, the landscape was primarily populated by films that held onto their positions from previous weeks.
For major studios, a debut figure of $34.1 million, set against a production budget exceeding $200 million, would typically flag a major failure. Some estimates even suggest the budget could be as high as $250 million. However, because “Red One” is released by Amazon MGM Studios, there is a different perspective. The studio has the advantage of considering long-term profitability, looking beyond the immediate box office results to account for international performance where Johnson’s films often thrive, along with their eventual availability on Prime Video over the years.
Originally intended for a direct-to-streaming release, “Red One” features Johnson as a bodyguard to Santa Claus. Its box office earnings are considered an additional perk rather than a primary goal, contributing to movie theaters in need of a constant supply of fresh content. As the first major holiday film from a major studio since 2018, it opened across 4,032 screens, including large formats like IMAX, during a relatively quiet weekend for new releases.
Warner Bros. is managing the film’s international distribution and has reported $50 million in overseas sales within two weekends across 75 territories and nearly 15,000 screens. Nevertheless, it has not emerged as a theatrical success in North America. In fact, “Joker: Folie à Deux” outperformed “Red One” in its opening weekend. Despite being directed by Jake Kasdan and produced by Johnson’s company, Seven Bucks, the film has garnered a disappointing critical reception, holding a lowly 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes. A review highlighted that it “feels like an unwanted high-priced Christmas present.” On a brighter note, audience reception has been more favorable, resulting in an A- CinemaScore, which may hint at its potential to become a beloved holiday favorite over time.
In second place, Sony’s “Venom: The Last Dance” brought in $7.4 million this weekend, raising its domestic total to $127.6 million, with a global total reaching $436.1 million. Lionsgate’s “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” took third place with $5.4 million, already nearly doubling its budget of $10 million in just two weeks. Fourth position went to A24’s “Heretic,” which garnered $5.2 million, resulting in a total of $20.4 million so far. Closing out the top five, Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” continued to perform well in its eighth weekend, earning an additional $4.3 million and surpassing $300 million globally.
This weekend serves as a lull before the upcoming Thanksgiving blockbusters. Next week, theaters will showcase “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” along with “Moana 2,” which also features Johnson, arriving on the Wednesday before the holiday.
“Gladiator II” got an early international release, opening in 63 markets this weekend and making $87 million, marking a record for both filmmaker Ridley Scott and for an R-rated international release from Paramount. The film is set to debut in the U.S. and Canada on November 22.
Estimated ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, according to Comscore, are as follows:
1. “Red One,” $34.1 million.
2. “Venom: The Last Dance,” $7.4 million.
3. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” $5.4 million.
4. “Heretic,” $5.2 million.
5. “The Wild Robot,” $4.3 million.
6. “Smile 2,” $3 million.
7. “Conclave,” $2.9 million.
8. “Hello, Love, Again,” $2.3 million.
9. “A Real Pain,” $2.3 million.
10. “Anora,” $1.8 million.
