Dwayne Johnson was once the man whose touch was worth its weight in gold. At least that’s what happened to franchises like Fast & Furious or the Jumanji reboots thanks to its cast. After the superhero flop Black Adam, however, the tide turned: Since then, The Rock has apparently been looking for the cinema hit that will give his career new life.
The latest attempt has now landed on Amazon Prime Video just a few weeks after its cinematic release: Red One – Christmas Alert.
On Amazon Prime: Dwayne Johnson has to find Santa Claus again in Red One
In the world of Red One, Santa Claus (JK Simmons) runs a tightly run gift empire including head of security Cal (Johnson) and secret cooperation with the US military. But the ancient enemies of the elderly North Pole resident manage to kill him of all people to kidnap on Christmas Eve.
Check out the trailer for Red One here:
is jointly responsible for the security leak the amoral elite hacker Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans), Cal persuades him to help with a little pressure. The unlikely duo sets out together to search for the kidnap victim. They not only meet fantasy characters like Krampus (Kristofer Hivju), but ultimately find their own innermost convictions again.
Cinema flop Red One: Did Dwayne Johnson’s career rescue fail?
Dwayne Johnson apparently thought so much of Red One that he recently compared the film to a Christopher Nolan blockbuster. But unlike Inception or Interstellar, Johnson’s Christmas action was lost in the cinema: According to The Numbers, Red One only grossed around 165 million with production costs of 200 million US dollars. If the film’s potential were exhausted, the producers would lose incredible amounts of money. But it’s not.
Finally The streaming evaluation of the blockbuster is still pending: Amazon was a co-producer and co-distributor of the film from the start. With a little buffer, he ends up on Prime in this country in order to provide viewers of all genders and ages with family and friends with shallow entertainment just in time for the holidays. A real four-quadrant film for everyone for whom going to the cinema between the years is too stressful and classic films on TV are too old-fashioned.
It remains to be seen whether the calculation will work. The flop in the cinema was certainly not the intention of Johnson and the other producers. But it would be bearable if Red One turns out to be a mega hit on stream – and thus opens up new avenues for The Rock’s career.
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