Dwayne Johnson’s Christmas movie “Red One” has set a December streaming release date, confirming the action film will indeed be available to watch at home during the holidays. “Red One” will be streaming on Prime Video starting Dec. 12, Amazon Prime Video announced on Monday.
The Seven Bucks Productions film is based on an original idea from Hiram Garcia and stars Johnson as Santa Claus’ Head of Security, who’s forced to team up with a “naughty lister” played by Chris Evans when Santa (played by a jacked J.K. Simmons) goes missing.
“Red One” hit theaters on Nov. 15, ahead of the Thanksgiving frame, and is still playing in a number of theaters across the country. The film has grossed over $160 million worldwide so far against a budget in the range of $200 million to $250 million, but suffered largely negative reviews — although TheWrap’s William Bibbiani found plenty to like and it netted an A- CinemaScore from audiences.
In his review he called the film “a reasonably entertaining three-star blockbuster with some fun ideas, a game cast, and a brisk storytelling style that never runs out of steam,” adding that he “was never especially impressed, but I was just enjoying the fact that they somehow turned this absurd elevator pitch into a functional, breezy, slightly above average action-comedy.”
“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” filmmaker Jake Kasdan directed the film from a screenplay by Chris Morgan (“Hobbs & Shaw”).
While “Red One” was envisioned as a franchise play, Amazon has yet to announce any sequel plans. No doubt the film’s performance on Prime Video over the holidays will play a crucial role in any future investment into this action-oriented holiday universe.
