Will Red One Hit the $30M Mark?

Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans' Christmas movie, "Red One, " took the lead on Friday's box office with almost $11 million. But can it reach its $30 million opening goal? Amazon MGM Studios believes the movie will draw more viewers over the weekend, especially considering that 54% of Friday's ticket buyers were male. "Red One" is currently showing in 4, 032 North American theaters, including premium formats like Imax. While critics weren't fans of the action-adventure film, audiences gave it an A- CinemaScore. Amazon initially planned to release the movie on Prime Video but decided on a theatrical release to support exhibitors. With a quiet weekend ahead, tracking suggested an opening range of $30 million to $35 million domestically. Overseas, "Red One" opened to $28 million to avoid competing with "Gladiator II, " which is set to launch internationally a week before hitting domestic theaters.

The movie's box office performance is crucial, given its $250 million budget. Unlike traditional studios, Amazon's model focuses on subscribers rather than box office numbers. They hope "Red One" becomes a holiday classic. While it wouldn't be a disaster if "Red One" doesn't hit $30 million, it would be a missed opportunity. The family-friendly film is the first proper Christmas movie since "The Grinch" in 2018. It follows Santa's head of security (Johnson) teaming up with a notorious bounty hunter (Evans) to save Christmas. Directed by Jake Kasdan and with a cast including Lucy Liu, "Red One" is the first of several year-end tentpoles aiming to boost the box office after a slow fall. Weekend numbers will be updated on Sunday.

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