‘Tis the season! It’s that magical time of the year when the box office and streaming platforms get buried under an avalanche of uplifting Christmas movies and gift-wrapped Hallmark family specials we all wish we could return before Boxing Day. You know, those films brimming with holiday cheer and enough sugary clichés to give you a toothache, all designed to remind us of the true meaning of the season. Well, as The Rock recently found out, it’s no easy task. Hoping to snag the top spot for this year’s most festive film, Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans’ action comedy Red One, which was initially commissioned for streaming, instead went down faster than a lump of coal in a stocking this past weekend, pulling in a measly $32 million from its whopping $250 million budget. The real Christmas miracle, it turns out, is Netflix’s Hot Frosty—currently one of the most-watched films worldwide and rocking a flawless 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Red One
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s recent track record at the box office has been… well, let’s say, a bit rocky. Black Adam, Red Notice, and Jungle Cruise were all deemed flops, barely making their budgets back in returns. But hey, Hollywood isn’t giving up on his star power just yet—no, they’ve dropped a cool $250 million on a Christmas movie, hoping it’ll light up the box office like a string of holiday lights. According to Variety, however, the opening weekend hauled in a measly $34 million domestically for the Santa Claus story—barely a drop in the bucket compared to what it cost to make. But it’s not all bad news, either. Experts believe Red One could earn its costs when it releases digitally on Prime Video, which seemed to be part of Amazon’s plan all along.
“Whether or not people like it, the value of these movies is different for our business model,” Amazon MGM’s head of theatrical distribution Kevin Wilson said. “If we can put these movies out theatrically and cover our P&A [print and advertising] costs, why wouldn’t we? We’re getting a massive marketing campaign that’s being paid for before the film gets to streaming.”
While some have argued that the film was simply released too early and that audiences have not yet gotten into the spirit of the holidays, Netflix has already landed its Christmas hit of the year.
Hot Frosty
If you’re anything like me, you probably did a double-take when you saw a movie called Hot Frosty—featuring a jacked snowman—climbing the Netflix charts this week. The film, which follows Cathy (Lacey Chabert), a widow who resurrects a snowman (Dustin Milligan) using a magical scarf, is essentially a blend of Will Ferrell’s Elf and Michael Keaton’s Jack Frost. At first, I rolled my eyes and assumed it was just another ridiculous Netflix Christmas flick. But to my surprise, I found myself oddly hooked within minutes. And I imagine that’s the case with Netflix viewers across the globe too.
It’s a strange setup, honestly. Hot Frosty is essentially about Cathy falling for the oversized toddler who doesn’t understand how to be a human. But, wow, does it pack in the charm! You’ll be chuckling out loud at various points as stars from Schitt’s Creek, The Office, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine pop up, serving up the kind of laughs you didn’t know you needed from a movie about a muscle-bound snowman.
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If Hot Frosty has taught us anything, it’s that you really don’t need $250 million to make a Christmas classic. All you really need is the charm, Christmas spirit and a snowman who can bench-press a holiday miracle. Sorry, Dwayne. Bringing down the hierarchy of power of Christmas is beyond your reach.
