Dwayne Johnson's US$200 million+ Christmas pic opens to US$34.1 million

This image released by Prime shows Lucy Liu in a scene from "Red One." (Frank Masi/Prime via AP)

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -

Moviegoers were not exactly feeling the Christmas spirit this weekend, or at least what “Red One” was offering. The big budget, star-driven action comedy with Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans sold US$34.1 million in tickets in its first weekend in theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday. It easily topped a box office populated mostly by holdovers.

For traditional studios, a US$34.1 million debut against a US$200 million+ production budget would be a clear indication of a flop. Some even peg the budget closer to US$250 million. But “Red One” is an Amazon MGM Studios release and they have the luxury of playing the long game, accounting not only for global box office where Johnson tentpoles often overperform, but its life on Prime Video for years to come.

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“Red One,” in which Johnson plays Santa’s bodyguard, was also originally built to go straight-to-streaming. There’s a narrative that the theatrical earnings are not only just a bonus, but that it’s an additive gesture towards struggling theaters looking for a consistent stream of new films. The first major studio holiday release since 2018, “Red One” opened on 4,032 screens, including IMAX and other large formats, on an otherwise quiet weekend for major releases.

Warner Bros. is handling the overseas release, where it has made an estimated US$50 million in two weekends from 75 territories and 14,783 screens.

Still, it’s certainly not a theatrical hit in North America. Even “Joker: Folie à Deux” made slightly more in its first weekend. “Red One,” directed by Jake Kasdan and produced by Johnson’s Seven Bucks, was roundly rejected by critics, with a dismal 33% Rotten Tomatoes score. Jake Coyle, in his review for The Associated Press, wrote that it “feels like an unwanted high-priced Christmas present.” But audiences were kinder to “Red One” than they were to “Joker 2,” giving it an A- CinemaScore, suggesting, perhaps, that the idea of it being a perennial holiday favorite is not so off-base.

Sony's “Venom: The Last Dance” added US$7.4 million this weekend to take second place, bringing its domestic total to US$127.6 million. Globally, its total stands at US$436.1 million.

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Lionsgate's “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” landed in third with US$5.4 million. That much more modestly budgeted Christmas movie has already nearly doubled its US$10 million production budget in two weeks. Fourth place went to A24’s Hugh Grant horror “Heretic,” with US$5.2 million, bumping its total grosses to US$20.4 million.

Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” rounded out the top five in its eighth weekend in theaters with an additional US$4.3 million. The animated film surpassed US$300 million worldwide this weekend.

This weekend is a bit of a stopover before the Thanksgiving tentpoles arrive. Next week, “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” face off in theaters with “Moana 2”, which also stars Johnson, sailing in the Wednesday before the holiday.

“Gladiator II” also got a bit of a head start internationally, where it opened in 63 markets this weekend to gross US$87 million. That's a record for filmmaker Ridley Scott and for an R-rated international release from Paramount. It opens in the U.S. and Canada on Nov. 22.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

• 1. “Red One,” US$34.1 million.
• 2. “Venom: The Last Dance,” US$7.4 million.
• 3. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” US$5.4 million.
• 4. “Heretic,” US$5.2 million.
• 5. “The Wild Robot,” US$4.3 million.
• 6. “Smile 2,” US$3 million.
• 7. “Conclave,” US$2.9 million.
• 8. “Hello, Love, Again,” US$2.3 million.
• 9. “A Real Pain,” US$2.3 million.
• 10. “Anora,” US$1.8 million.

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