Red One is playing in theaters, but its streaming release may not be far behind.
Amazon MGM's holiday-themed action comedy stars Chris Evans and Dwayne Johnson. It follows two operatives in charge of returning (what Dwayne Johnson calls the 'definitive') Santa Claus to the North Pole after he is kidnapped in the lead-up to Christmas.
The movie has been coming for a long time, with filming taking place over two years ago. And even though it is finally out in theaters, it has not exactly lit the world on fire. Out of its first weekend in theaters, the film sits at a dismal 33% on Rotten Tomatoes and earned a meager $50 million opening weekend at the global box office.
When Will Red One Be Released Online?
After its opening weekend, Red One's online release will loom large for fans.
Before the film can be streamed, it must first be available on premium video-on-demand (PVOD) platforms like Google Play, Amazon, and Apple TV.
That has not always been the case for Amazon MGM Studios' movies. Before this year, most of the studio's theatrically released movies had gone straight to streaming immediately after their theatrical runs, streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video or MGM+.
Things have changed, though. Starting last December, most theatrically released Amazon MGM movies opt for the theaters-to-PVOD-to-streaming release cadence typical of most movies in Hollywood these days.
Thankfully, fans will likely not have to wait long for Red One to be available at home; they will just have to pay to get it.
Since December of last year, Amazon MGM movies have taken an average of 28 days after their initial theatrical release. Of course, that exact timing varies depending on the movie.
Last December's American Fiction came to PVOD platforms after 53 days thanks to a lengthy awards season-fueled run in theaters. That is the only one of Amazon MGM's theatrical released movies in the last year to have a theatrical-to-PVOD window of more than 25 days.
Given just how chillingly cold the reception to Red One has been so far, it will likely not get the kind of extended run in theaters that something like American Fiction received a year ago.
Instead, an online release for the Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans-led blockbuster between 20 and 25 days after its November 15 theatrical release makes the most sense (it would fall right around another Amazon MGM movie, The Boys in the Boat).
This would put its arrival on PVOD services around the first or second week of December (sometime between December 6 and 10).
Below are some recent Amazon MGM films and their theatrical-to-PVOD windows for comparison:
- American Fiction (53 days)
- Theatrical: December 15, 2023
- Online: February 6, 2024
- The Boys in the Boat (22 days)
- Theatrical: December 25, 2023
- Online: January 16, 2024
- The Beekeeper (18 days)
- Theatrical: January 12, 2024
- Online: January 30, 2024
- Challengers (21 days)
- Theatrical: April 26, 2024
- Online: May 17, 2024
- Blink Twice (25 days)
- Theatrical: August 23, 2024
- Online: September 17, 2024
When Will Red One Come To Streaming?
Following its online release, Red One will head to streaming in some form or fashion.
Because of the movie's status as an Amazon MGM movie, it is assumed that when it eventually starts streaming, it will come to either MGM+ or Amazon Prime Video.
While there are two different potential landing spots for the snow-capped comedy, whether it hits one or the other does not seem to impact how long it will take before hitting one of the platforms.
Over the last year, Amazon MGM movies have averaged 103 days before arriving on streaming. Some theatrical-to-streaming windows have been as short as 84 days (American Fiction), and others have been as long as 146 days (Challengers).
Given Red One's relative blockbuster status (similar to Challengers), the movie may be longer for its potential streaming release date as Amazon MGM tries to squeeze every dollar out of it.
However, one thing Challengers had that Red One does not (at least early on) is positive momentum. Thanks to the movie's less-than-stellar theatrical debut, both critically and financially, the studio may also want to rush the film to streaming, cutting its losses and moving on.
If Red One were to follow some of its other Amazon MGM movies with a similar 90-day theatrical window, that would put its streaming release around February 13, 2025.
Below is a list of other Amazon MGM movies and their streaming release dates for comparison:
- American Fiction (84 days)
- Theatrical: December 15, 2023
- Streaming (Prime Video): March 8, 2024
- The Boys in the Boat (95 days)
- Theatrical: December 25, 2023
- Streaming (MGM+): March 29, 2024
- The Beekeeper (98 days)
- Theatrical: January 12, 2024
- Streaming (MGM+): April 19, 2024
- Challengers (146 days)
- Theatrical: April 26, 2024
- Streaming (Prime Video): September 19, 2024
- Blink Twice (90 days)
- Theatrical: August 23, 2024
- Streaming (MGM+): November 21, 2024
Red One is playing in theaters.
