Honestly, the internet tried to bury this one before it even hit the screen. If you’ve spent any time on film Twitter or scrolling through industry trades over the last year, you’ve probably heard the rumors. Stories of Dwayne Johnson being eight hours late to set. Whispers of a budget that ballooned to $250 million—enough to fund about sixteen A24 indie hits. Critics absolutely savaged it, calling it "commercial slop" and "soulless."
But then something weird happened.
The Red One full movie dropped, and regular people actually liked it. Like, really liked it. While the professional critics were busy clutching their pearls over "unsightly CGI" and "scattered themes," audiences were busy giving it an A- CinemaScore and a 90% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
It’s a classic disconnect. The "experts" saw a bloated disaster; the fans saw The Rock fighting an ogre with a talking polar bear named Garcia. Sometimes, that’s all you really want on a Tuesday night in January.
What is Red One actually about?
Forget the "jolly old St. Nick" you grew up with. In this universe, Santa Claus (played by a surprisingly jacked J.K. Simmons) is code-named Red One. He doesn't just deliver toys; he’s the head of a massive, high-tech operation at the North Pole that looks more like the CIA than a workshop.
The plot kicks off when Santa gets snatched right out of his secure compound on Christmas Eve eve.
Enter Callum Drift. He’s the Head of North Pole Security and commander of the E.L.F. (Enforcement, Logistics, and Fortification). Dwayne Johnson plays him with that stoic, "I’m too old for this" energy he’s been perfecting lately. Callum is planning to retire because he’s lost faith in humanity—basically, he’s tired of seeing the "Naughty List" grow longer every year.
To find Santa, he’s forced to team up with Jack O’Malley. Chris Evans plays Jack as a cynical, "black-hat" hacker and bounty hunter who accidentally helped the bad guys find the North Pole’s hidden location.
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Jack is a deadbeat dad. Callum is a literal Christmas soldier. It’s the ultimate odd-couple pairing. They travel from snowy secret bases to the literal "real world" (mostly Aruba and Berlin) trying to track down a Christmas witch named Grýla before she can use Santa’s power to punish everyone on the Naughty List.
The controversy that almost killed it
You can't talk about the Red One full movie without talking about the mess behind the scenes.
The budget is the big elephant in the room. When Amazon MGM Studios first greenlit this, it was supposed to be a straight-to-streaming play for Prime Video. Then they saw the test screenings and decided to pivot to a massive theatrical release.
But reports from The Wrap alleged that production was a nightmare. There were claims that Johnson’s lateness added $50 million to the final bill. Whether that’s 100% accurate or just typical Hollywood gossip, the result was a movie that needed to make roughly $500 million to $600 million just to break even.
It didn't do that at the box office. Not even close.
It opened to about $34 million domestically. In the world of $250 million blockbusters, that’s usually a death sentence. Yet, here we are in 2026, and the movie has found a second life.
Why audiences are obsessed while critics are bored
So, why the gap?
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Critics hated the "world-building exposition." They felt the movie spent too much time explaining how the magic works—like how the North Pole is hidden in a snow globe or why the reindeer are basically elite athletes.
But for a lot of viewers, that was the best part.
There’s a sequence where they go to see Krampus (played by Kristofer Hivju from Game of Thrones), who happens to be Santa’s estranged brother. They engage in a "slap game" tradition that is legitimately hilarious and weird. It’s those moments—the weird, mythological deep dives—that make the Red One full movie feel different from your standard Hallmark holiday fare.
Also, let’s be real: Chris Evans is great at being a jerk. After years of playing the straight-laced Captain America, watching him play a degenerate gambler who doesn't believe in magic is refreshing. He has a natural chemistry with Johnson that feels less forced than the Rock’s pairings in movies like Red Notice.
The "Streaming Miracle"
Even though it "flopped" in theaters, it became a monster hit on Prime Video. Within weeks of its streaming debut, it racked up over 50 million viewers.
This is the new reality of the film industry. A theatrical "bomb" isn't always a failure if it drives millions of subscriptions and becomes a "perennial" watch every December. Amazon’s head, Jennifer Salke, has already signaled they view it as a long-term win.
Where can you watch the Red One full movie right now?
If you missed the theatrical run and want to see what all the fuss is about, you have a few options.
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- Prime Video: This is the "forever home" for the movie. Since it’s an Amazon MGM production, it’s included with a standard Prime membership.
- VOD Platforms: You can still rent or buy it on Apple TV, Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu), and Google Play if you prefer to own your digital copies.
- International: In some regions, licensing deals mean it might pop up on services like HBO Max, but Prime Video is your safest bet globally.
The "Naughty List" Reality Check
Is it a perfect movie? No.
The CGI can be a bit crunchy in the final act, and Kiernan Shipka’s villain, Grýla, feels a little underwritten for an actress of her caliber. The movie also runs about two hours, which might be a stretch for younger kids with shorter attention spans.
However, it handles the "meaning of Christmas" theme without being too nauseatingly sweet. Callum’s arc about regaining his faith in people feels earned, mostly because the movie acknowledges that, yeah, people can be pretty terrible sometimes.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you've already watched the Red One full movie and want more of that specific vibe, here’s how to dive deeper:
- Check out the Mythology: The movie draws heavily from Icelandic folklore. Look up the legend of Grýla and the Yule Lads—the movie actually sticks closer to the "scary" origins of these characters than you might think.
- Watch the Jumanji Sequels: If you liked the direction and the humor, it’s the same director (Jake Kasdan). He has a specific way of handling action-comedy that feels very "video game adjacent."
- Follow the Box Office Trends: Keep an eye on how "streaming-first" movies perform. Red One is basically a case study for how the industry is changing. The "flop" label is becoming increasingly meaningless when you factor in global streaming minutes.
The film didn't reinvent the wheel, but it did give us a buff J.K. Simmons and a talking polar bear. In 2026, maybe that's exactly the kind of "commercial slop" we need.
To get the most out of your viewing experience, try watching it on a screen with solid HDR support—the North Pole sequences are surprisingly vibrant, and the high-tech ELF gear has a lot of small details that get lost on a phone or tablet.