UPDATE: Deadline is reporting $3.7M in previews, but takes into account early screenings of the film which took place last Sunday.
EARLIER: Things are not looking so hot for “Red One,” starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, as the $250M costing movie racked up a paltry $2.5M in Thursday previews. These numbers are actually below expectations, and we already figured that this movie wouldn’t be a success.
The best-case scenario right now is an opening weekend of around $25M. If word of mouth is really bad, then I wouldn’t be surprised if it only hits the $20-23M mark. Watch out for the CinemaScore grade because the film definitely doesn’t have critics on its side (34% on RT).
Given that it’s a holiday-themed action movie, “Red One” could technically leg out during the holidays, and that’s clearly something that Amazon/MGM is desperately hoping for. One thing’s for certain, Dwayne Johnson’s stock has been stumbling these last few years and he’s now decided to branch out in making a buzzy indie for A24 (“The Smashing Machine”).