Next year’s holiday season is already looking merry and bright at the box office as Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans’ holiday action comedy, Red One, plans on riding a sleigh into theaters. The Amazon MGM and Seven Bucks Christmas film is still spreading holiday cheer on Prime Video, but the project’s global theatrical debut happens on November 15, 2024.
Red One’s move to theaters is a strategy to take advantage of the holiday box office rush. Families love to bundle up the family for a trip to cinemas, and that Thanksgiving window is almost as tasty as a lovingly cooked butterball turkey. Other films will premiere in theaters around the holidays, but so far, Robert De Niro’s mobster film Alto Knights and Lionsgate and Kingdom Story’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever occupy the holiday stretch.
In addition to Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, Red One also stars a shredded J.K. Simmons, Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Liu, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Nick Kroll, Kristofer Hibvju, and Bonnie Hunt. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle director Jake Kasdan is helming Red One from a script by Chris Morgan based on an original story from Hiram Garcia. The film has previously been described as “a globe-trotting, four-quadrant action-adventure comedy, imagining a whole new universe to explore within the holiday genre.”
“Our movie is a big, fun, action-packed, and fresh new take on Christmas,” Dwayne Johnson said about Red One on his Instagram account. “Think JUMANJI meets MIRACLE ON 34TH ST meets HOBBS & SHAW with a dash of HARRY POTTER and sprinkled on top with my all-time favorite Christmas movie, ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE…”
Red One presents audiences with a different type of Santa Claus. Typically, we think of Santa as a holly, jolly elf who gorges on milk and cookies. That could be true for most films, but not Red One. In Kasdan’s forthcoming film, J.K. Simmons’ St. Nick is ripped! Johnson boasted about Simmons’ physique on Instagram.
“Ladies, gentlemen & children of all ages.. the coolest, strongest, kindest, most bad ass, most loving & most OG Santa Claus of all time,” Dwayne Johnson wrote in the caption. “Brought to life by Academy Award winner, J.K. Simmons who worked his ass off for months to step into this iconic role in AMAZING SHAPE for our Christmas franchise film, RED ONE. We’re having a BLAST and so will you and your families when you see our movie!!”
Are you excited about Red One getting a theatrical release before sliding down the digital chimney and onto Prime Video? Let us know in the comments section below.