Amazon/MGM's troubled $250 million gamble starring Dwayne Johnson — World of Reel

The new trailerr for “Red One” starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans has been released. This film brings a lot of baggage with it.

Summary: “After Santa Claus – codename: RED ONE – is kidnapped, the North Pole's security chief (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world's most notorious bounty hunter (Chris Evans) to save Christmas in an action-packed mission around the globe.”

Last December, Deadline reported that Red One, dated November 15, 2024, was tested twice and that the results were “through the roof.” I automatically flagged this report as a red flag because it was the opposite of what I had heard and that Amazon most likely leaked the “high test results” story to the trade press to get ahead of a story that would soon appear in the film.

And lo and behold, this story came in late April, when The Wrap reported that the budget for “Red One” had ballooned to over $250 million. Apparently Dwayne Johnson was partly to blame, as the actor was frequently late to set, averaging 7-8 hours, and sometimes just didn't show up, adding up to around $50 million in costs.

“Dwayne really doesn't give a shit,” an insider explained bluntly.

TheInSneider then reported They said they had heard that the test screenings of “Red One” did not go so well and that the film was “an absolute disaster.” They compared it to M. Night Shyamalan's “Lady in the Water” and called it “ChatGPT's idea of ​​a four-quadrant commercial film.”

Amazon originally had a release date of December 20, 2024. The studio wanted to finish the film in time for Christmas audiences, but according to Sneider's source, it turned out to be “a big chunk of money.” The end result is that the film was delayed 11 months and is now set for release in November of this year.

“Red One” was directed by Jake Kasdan, who also directed Johnson’s two “Jumanji” films as well as “Bad Teacher,” “Sex Tape” and “Walk Hard.”