Chris Evans and Dwayne Johnson’s action movie Red One is the number one movie in the world on Prime Video. The film has the premise of Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) being kidnapped and needing to be saved by bounty hunter Jack “The Wolf” O’Malley (Evans) and Callum Drift (Johnson), who is the head of the North Pole’s security.
Now, Red One is at the top of Prime Video’s global charts after being in the top 10 for 50 different countries, including Australia, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, Portugal, and the United States. It is in the third spot for the U.S.
For the global top 10, Red One is ahead of Oh. What. Fun., Tell Me Softly, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Ordinary Angels, She Rides Shotgun, Ice Road: Vengeance, Merv, Playdate, and Guns Up.
This is an impressive feat, as Evans and Johnson’s film is ahead of an all-time great Christmas movie like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, along with the more recent releases of Oh. What. Fun. and Merv, both of which debuted on the streaming platform in the past month.
It is also a turn of success for a movie that performed poorly at the box office in 2024. Against a reported budget of $200-250 million, Red One only grossed $186 million worldwide, with $97 million domestically and $89 million internationally. It was considered a massive box office flop as it failed to break even or produce a profit.
Red One‘s reviews were also largely negative, culminating in a 30% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. In ScreenRant‘s review, Simon Gallagher wrote that “in attempting to deconstruct and reconstruct Christmas spirit there’s just never enough charm to carry the spell.”
The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes was more favorable, resulting in a “Verified Hot” 89%. A year later, it remains an audience favorite, indicating that it has more staying power than the box office numbers and dismal critical reception anticipated.
Along with Evans, Johnson, and Simmons, the cast of Red One features Lucy Liu as Zoe Harlow, Bonnie Hunt as Mrs. Claus, Kristofer Hivju as Krampus, Nick Kroll as Ted, Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Olivia, Marc Evan Jackson as Uncle Rick, and Kiernan Shipka as Grýla, the witch who kidnaps Santa Claus.
While Red One does not have the fandom of Evans’ Marvel Cinematic Universe films or Johnson’s Fast & Furious movies, it is further cementing its status as a fun Christmas action movie that will likely continue to perform well as the holiday season continues.
- Release Date
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November 15, 2024
- Runtime
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123 Minutes
- Director
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Jake Kasdan
