The Last Dance: Why It Struggled at the Domestic Box Office Despite High Hopes
- After three weeks at number one, Sony Pictures' film, Venom: The Last Dance, has been replaced at the U.S.
- While $30 million might not seem disappointing, the movie's reported budget exceeds $250 million, making profit challenging for the studio.
- Red One might do better overseas and is the only major release this weekend.
After three weeks at number one, Sony Pictures’ film, Venom: The Last Dance, has been replaced at the U.S. box office. The new top film is Amazon MGM’s holiday adventure, Red One. It earned around $11 million on Friday, including $3.7 million from Thursday previews. Estimates suggest it will make about $30 million this weekend.
While $30 million might not seem disappointing, the movie’s reported budget exceeds $250 million, making profit challenging for the studio.
Red One might do better overseas and is the only major release this weekend. Audience feedback is positive, as evidenced by its A- CinemaScore.
Critics, however, are not as enthusiastic, giving the film a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus states that the movie is “wrapped in slick packaging but wholly lacking in holiday magic.”
Dwayne Johnson stars as a North Pole security agent who teams up with bounty hunter Chris Evans. Together, they try to rescue Santa Claus, played by J.K. Simmons, who has been kidnapped.
Johnson mentioned the intention behind Red One: “We wanted to create a movie meant for the biggest screens.” He recalled watching Oppenheimer in a top IMAX theater and imagining how impressive Red One would look there.
The plot centers on a villain kidnapping Santa Claus. An E.L.F. (Extremely Large and Formidable) operative and a skilled tracker must find him to save Christmas.
The cast features Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju, Nick Kroll, and Wesley Kimmel.
Red One is now in theaters and will stream on Prime Video later. Will you watch it on the big screen?