Red One: No cinema release for the new comedy with Dwayne Johnson in France?

The Rock's previous films with Jake Kasdan had attracted 3 million admissions!

Worn by two Hollywood superstars: Dwayne Johnson And Chris Evans, Red One cost MGM (and therefore Amazon, via the recent purchase of the studio by the streaming firm) $250 million. The company also hesitated to release it directly on Prime Video, before deciding to release it first in American cinemas. The Christmas comedy has just been released there and the results are not very conclusive: Red One grossed $34 million from 4,032 copies across the Atlantic in its first weekend, and just over 60 million worldwide. This will probably not be enough to repay its enormous theatrical budget…

Small score for Dwayne Johnson and Red One at the US box office

Hence this question, since the film is not yet dated here: Red One will it be shown in cinemas in France or will it rather be programmed directly in streaming?

In the United States, the media chronology is more flexible than in France. Companies can offer a feature film on a platform only a few weeks after having broadcast it on the big screens. If a work is released on a limited basis, it can even be scheduled for streaming at the same time.

Which is not the case here, since Red One is offered on more than 4,000 screens. Its producers will have to wait between 3 and 6 weeks to be able to broadcast it on Prime Video in the United States. Whereas in France, if it is released in cinemas, its distributor will have to wait 17 months before being able to program it on this same platform.

The fact that this Christmas blockbuster does not yet have a local release date suggests that it will undoubtedly only be available for streaming here, once its American broadcast date is officially announced on Prime. But Red One wouldn't it have a chance of hitting theaters in France?

It's complicated…

Its American release was accompanied by mixed reviews, and hectic promotion: Dwayne Johnson, who is also a producer here, coming out of several flops (Jungle Cruise, Black Adam…) and he was recently mocked for his behavior on this shoot -he would have had big delays, then would have asked to pee in bottles to save the team time…- or on his wish to schedule Red One in IMAX, taking as an example the success ofOppenheimer in this format.

Yes, Dwayne Johnson (sometimes) pees in bottles on set

A promise to “great show on giant screen” which has not convinced across the Atlantic, this defense of “premium cinema” by the action star having coincided with the broadcast of negative opinions on his film, which notably denounced its budget being too large in relation to its visual or creative ambitions. Under The Rock's promotional post praising the IMAX, Internet users responded that Christopher Nolan had filmed his Oppenheimer for about 100 million, not 250, and wondered why Amazon had invested so much money in this.

Rebelote this week following a new message from the star proudly announcing that Red One had received “90% positive reviews” on Rotten Tomatoeswhile the film is “certified rotten” on this same site, with only 33% positive opinions from the press. On the public side, the score climbs to 90% “among verified accounts”and 84% “all opinions combined”which multiplied reactions accusing the production of having paid the site to obtain laudatory comments on the film…

Is Dwayne Johnson a diva? Red One's budget reportedly exploded due to repeated delays

Does the American public no longer believe in Dwayne Johnson? The ex-wrestling star is very present on social networks – and paid for sponsored posts– but it is clear that around Red Oneit is above all the negative reactions which are multiplying.

It must be said that this film is released after two blockbusters carried by the actor which disappointed the public: in 2021, his adventure comedy Jungle Cruisealso starring Emily Blunt, amassed $220 million worldwide, barely half of which in the United States, although it also cost Disney dearly. Then Black Adama major production from Warner Bros. that The Rock carried on his shoulders and which was sold as the revival of DC Comics adaptations finished its run below 400 million in total, including 168 collected domestically. Its sequel was canceled, as was Henry Cavill's return in Supermanyet teased in this super-film.

We have to go back to 2019 to find real success driven by Johnson: Jumanji: Next Levelprecisely made as Red One by Jake Kasdan, who has amassed 800 million greenbacks on the planet, including more than 300 in the USA. And again, his predecessor had done better, reaching 900 million in 2017 in global score, including 400 million in his country of origin.

Why Dwayne Johnson's plans in the DCEU failed

In France, the situation is different for Dwayne Johnson, who continues to enjoy some success in theaters. Black Adam attracted more than 2 million spectators to us, and the two opuses of Jumanji have crossed the threshold of 3 million entries. If the score of Jungle Cruise is a little below, it is not catastrophic either, the film having accumulated 840,000 cinema tickets during the summer of 2021.

However, all is not lost for the actor on the big screen, as he will return to dubbing for Moana 2whose first opus had collected 460 million dollars worldwide, and attracted 5.6 million spectators in France, in 2016. This animated sequel also had a particular manufacturingfirst thought to be broadcast as a series on Disney + before being transformed into a work in progress to be released in cinemas, but it remains an ambitious project for the studio, on which a large team of animators was hired. We will see at the end of the month if this cinema release strategy pays off…

Dwayne Johnson must next turn a live action adaptation of Moanaand he also recently signed on for a smaller budget film produced by A24, The Smashing Machineby Benny Safdie.

As for his playing partner Chris Evans, he is also struggling to return to success since his departure from the saga Avengers. Except in cameos in Free Guy Or Deadpool and Wolverine, the actor hasn't had a big hit since Endgame And At loggerheadsin 2019, on the big screen. Lately, he has focused mainly on projects intended for streaming such as The Gray Man And Pain merchants (on Netflix) or Ghosted (on Apple TV+). His dubbing for Buzz Lightyear, in 2022, marks one of Pixar's recent flops. However, he will return in 2025 in films by acclaimed directors: with Ethan Coen (Honey Don't!) and Romain Gavras (Sacrifice).

Thanks Seth Rogen, Chris Evans plans to make fewer films