Amazon’s High-Stakes Gamble: “Red One” Tops the Box Office but Faces a Steep Climb to Profitability
Move over, Venom: Let There Be Carnage—there’s a new heavyweight at the top of the North American box office. Amazon’s latest blockbuster, Red One: Secret Mission, muscled its way to the top this weekend, pulling in an estimated $34.1 million. But despite the festive cheer, the film’s towering $250 million budget (and rumored $50 million overshoot) has analysts skeptical about its financial future.
A pre-holiday showdown is brewing, with Gladiator II and Wicked set to drop next week. While Gladiator II is already flexing its muscles with $87 million in international earnings, Red One is fighting to make its mark.
“This is not the grand slam it needed to be,” says David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. “It’s a solid start, but for a movie built to kick off a big holiday franchise, it’s not quite enough.” Gross pointed out that Red One’s opening wasn’t disastrous, but with Amazon aiming to generate buzz for the film’s upcoming streaming debut, the theatrical numbers might just be icing on the cake.
The holiday action-comedy stars none other than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Santa’s head of security, teaming up with Chris Evans’ tech-savvy hacker to rescue a kidnapped Santa Claus—portrayed by the delightfully grouchy J.K. Simmons. Think Die Hard, but with candy canes.
While Red One claimed the top spot, Venom: Let There Be Carnage slid to second place with $7.4 million in its fourth weekend. Sony has little to complain about, though—the Tom Hardy-led finale to the Venom trilogy has raked in $127.6 million domestically and a hefty $308 million internationally. Safe to say, that’s a win for the studio.
Taking third this weekend was The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a dramedy featuring Judy Greer and Pete Holmes. The adaptation of Barbara Robinson’s beloved book brought in $5.4 million and follows the chaos of a small-town Christmas pageant hijacked by six rowdy kids. No word yet on when it’ll make its way to Portugal.
Meanwhile, A24’s Heretic slipped to fourth place with $5.2 million. The horror flick stars Hugh Grant in an unexpectedly menacing role, proving he’s more than just rom-com royalty.
Rounding out the top five is Wild Robot, a charming family animation about a robot stranded on an island learning to live among animals. Now in its eighth week, the film earned $4.3 million this weekend and continues to dominate as an original animated hit, with $238 million domestic and $304.5 million globally. With awards season in sight, a sequel is already in the works.
So, while Red One might have claimed the crown this weekend, the road ahead looks challenging. Can Amazon’s big-budget gamble pay off? Stay tuned as the holiday box office battle heats up.
Watch the RED ONE trailer—action, excitement, and epic moments await!
