The holiday season has officially arrived, and alongside the festivities, Hollywood has gifted viewers another Christmas film: “Red One,” featuring Dwayne Johnson as the lead character. Since its mid-November release, the film has been widely critiqued, and not in a favorable light, with a low score of 31% on Rotten Tomatoes and disappointing box office performance. Projected losses for the film could reach around $100 million.
“Red One” attempts to carve out a niche as the first entry in a Christmas-themed action franchise. In the film, Johnson plays Callum Drift, who leads the North Pole’s Enforcement Logistics and Fortification team. When Santa is abducted on Christmas Eve, Drift assembles a team of Santa soldiers and mercenaries, including Chris Evans and Lucy Liu, to save the holiday from impending doom.
This misstep is not just a one-time occurrence; historically, Hollywood has struggled to successfully blend the action genre with Christmas themes. Films like “Santa Claus: The Movie” in the 1980s and “Jingle All the Way” in the 1990s faced similar fates, often leading to box office failures. While “Die Hard” enjoys the status of a beloved Christmas action film, it remains an exception rather than the rule.
The enduring question is why Hollywood continues to pursue the formula of Christmas action films. The answer may lie in the industry’s transition from cozy holiday classics—such as “Miracle on 34th Street” and “White Christmas”—to a landscape dominated by home viewership and the genre expectations of a younger audience, which leans toward explosive superhero and action franchises.
As audiences prepare for the holiday season, there is hope for a resurgence of heartwarming Christmas movies that celebrate the spirit of the holiday, similar to those cherished classics. Meanwhile, viewers are drawn to streaming platforms like Hallmark and Netflix, where the newer generation of Christmas films often evokes nostalgia, despite their cheesy plots.
Ultimately, the film industry must reassess its future contributions to the Christmas cinematic landscape, acknowledging that audiences yearn for warmth, comfort, and connection during the holiday season, rather than just high-octane action. While “Red One” may not have delivered the holiday cheer it aimed for, it highlights the ongoing conversation about what audiences truly desire during this special time of year.