Dwayne Johnson may have captured the hearts of the world in the 2000s. However, it looks like the star might be ready to take his biggest risk ever. In the world of Hollywood blockbusters, budgets can often make or break a film’s success. With that in mind, an upcoming film of the 52-year-old, Red One, is said to have a budget higher than James Cameron’s Avatar.
Johnson has long been known as a box-office magnet. However, even for a star of his stature, a budget rumored to exceed Cameron’s film is a monumental risk. Historically, high budgets have not always equated to success.
Dwayne Johnson’s biggest film risk ever
Just last year, Deadline confirmed Amazon MGM Studios and Seven Bucks’ epic Christmas action comedy Red One. The upcoming film was said to center on a mission carried out by the North Pole’s Head of Security and a bounty hunter who must work together to save Christmas after Santa Claus is kidnapped.
It was also revealed that the film would star some huge names like Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, and even J.K. Simmons. Now, a post on X has revealed a massive rumored budget of $253 million for the film. With such a star-studded cast, it might sound about right. However, the more expensive the film, the more likely it is to fail.
The staggering number of Johnson’s budget is even higher than James Cameron’s $237 million for his blockbuster hit, Avatar (via Box Office Mojo). With the 52-year-old star not only acting but also producing the film, a box office flop could result in him losing a whole lot of money. However, the alleged budget has not been confirmed as of yet.
The news of the rumored budget sent fans online into a frenzy. In fact, one user on X even stated, “Am I the only one that feels the rock has lost that star power, he needs to take a break.” Other users also chimed in with their takes on the upcoming film, but none of them were positive.
253 million… whoever gave them that much was setting it up for failure
— Gabe ☘️⚡️ (@CelticsGotNext) October 25, 2024
Damn… that’s huge budget. Hope it does well. I doubt it, though.
— Life Echoes Psychology Facts (@lifeechoes4real) October 25, 2024
I miss when The Rock made movies like The Rundown or Walking Tall. Yeah they were PG-13 but still had a little bit of edge to them.
— Jarrett Mcdonald 🇺🇲 (@JrockMcdonald) October 25, 2024
Oooof, The Rock curse… I’m still looking forward to this as a fun holiday film, but def disappointing to hear that lol pic.twitter.com/jpJeNGWHE5
— Trevor “No Scope” Jenkins (@TrevorJ_DSTRCT) October 25, 2024
The budget of this film is out of control. Why are some of these actors getting paid so much to piss in bottles.
This is a money grab. No thank you.
— ⛉⚔ ᵂⁱᴿᵉᴰ•ᵁˢᴰ ⚔⛊ 🧶 (@Xx_WiReD_xX) October 25, 2024
In fact, the only thing about the upcoming action comedy that has been confirmed is its upcoming release date. Luckily, fans won’t have to wait too long to see Johnson and Evans team up for the first time.
When will Dwayne Johnson’s Red One be released?
Ever since Dwayne Johnson’s Red One was announced last year, fans have been excited to see the film make its way to the big screen. Initially, the Christmas film was set to release in December of 2023. However, it ended up running into delays with the SAG-AFTRA strike in full swing.
Reports from The Wrap claimed that Johnson’s on-set behavior has also added to the delay. It was stated that the 52-year-old was often late to set, sometimes by as much as eight hours. Some insiders even claimed that his tardiness added at least $50 million to the film’s budget. However, those claims have since been disputed.
Although the film ended up being delayed, a release date was finally set in stone. According to reports from Variety, it was confirmed that the Johnson film would be released in the US on November 15th, 2024.
With less than a month to go for Johnson’s film to debut, fans are wondering whether the film could be a hit or a miss. Although the actor has been known for his rather pristine track record, the hype for the film might lead to a few disappointed fans.
Stream James Cameron’s Avatar on Disney+
