Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson says a Cillian Murphy film inspired him to make his new Christmas movie – despite it already rating poorly on Rotten Tomatoes.
The actor and WWE wrestler stars alongside Chris Evans in the flick which follows Santa Claus’ kidnap from the North Pole, prompting an elf operative and an accomplished tracker to join forces and save Christmas.
The Rock has enjoyed much success on the big screen with hits like Moana, Jumanji, and Fast and Furious. This time, he followed Cillian Murphy’s lead in 2023 smash hit Oppenheimer, led by filmmaker Christopher Nolan.
The Rock told Screen Rant: “With Red One, our intention was to make a movie that you can enjoy on the biggest screen possible. Legitimately the biggest screens possible are IMAX.
“I was midway through shooting Red One and I had an opportunity to see Oppenheimer.
“I watched in the IMAX theater where Christopher Nolan watches and screens his movies. Him and Emma [Thomas], his wife. I even asked to let me sit where Chris sits. They said, ‘Chris sits here.’ I watch Oppenheimer. It was amazing, but I was thinking: ‘Holy s***. Red One on this screen and with this technology could be game over.'”
He added: “I remember texting [director Jake Kasdan] a picture of my bare chest and a picture of the screen and we realized how cool [IMAX] would be.”
Red One was not intended for theatrical release at all, but instead for Prime Video streaming service. The Hollywood strikes in 2023 prompted Amazon to change course and delay Red One by a year – as well as its theater release.
It seems the Christmas flick will not receive the same praise and acclaim as Oppenheimer, though. Red One has a score of 34% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the comments are quite scathing.
One user wrote: “Was expecting a more funny movie. Just not what I was expecting,” while another agreed: “I was hoping it would be good, but it wasn’t. I also hoped it would be funny, but it wasn’t that, either.
“I was really surprised by how much profanity was used in a Christmas movie. It felt like it wasn’t put together well. I will not waste my money on this film again. I just wish I hadn’t wasted my money on it in the first place.”
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