The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2022–2024
Red One: a $250M Christmas movie that grossed $186M
Amazon MGM's $250M Christmas action film Red One opened to $34M and grossed $186M worldwide, a box-office failure.
Amazon MGM Studios · Seven Bucks Productions · 2024-11-15
What happened
Red One, a Christmas action comedy starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, was produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Seven Bucks Productions on a budget reported at $200–250 million, with a troubled production that saw costs balloon. It was released on November 15, 2024.
The film opened to just $34 million domestically, and Deadline asked whether it was 'a bomb or a streamer's rounding error.' It finished its theatrical run with roughly $186 million worldwide against the huge budget.
For a traditional studio the result was a black eye, and even with Amazon's streaming cushion the film was widely counted among the year's biggest box-office failures, confirming that a star-driven Christmas tentpole could not justify its cost.
Why it happened
- Amazon MGM spent $200–250M on a star-packed Christmas action movie, betting Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans would guarantee a broad holiday audience.
- The film opened to a chilly $34M and never found an audience, ending at about $186M worldwide against the enormous outlay.
- Against the $250M budget, the $186M gross left the film counted as a box-office failure, a black eye even for a studio cushioned by Amazon's scale.
The lesson
A star is not a licence to print money: Amazon MGM spent $250M on Red One and it grossed $186M — a holiday tentpole still needs a story the audience cares to see.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Red One (film)
- Deadline — 'Red One' Opens To $34M: Is It A Bomb Or A Streamer's Rounding Error?
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