Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans playing in the snow with polar bears did better at the box office than expected

Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans delivered a true stinker with Red One. This one’s stench is destined to linger on the careers of everyone involved. That said, the run-of-the-mill, cliché-filled bomb can at least, when everything is said and done, say it didn’t lose as much money as everyone thought it would.

In the lead-up to the film’s release, Johnson infamously made yet another gaffe about how he expected the film to be as well received as Oppenheimer. He thought that not only would it use IMAX, but the film would also feature his large chest so it has to be a sure hit. Unfortunately for Johnson and Evans, both of whom desperately need a hit, the audience seemed to believe they deserved a bit more from their Christmas film.

The intention behind Red One was actually quite noble. These days, there are kids who are attuned to action comedies in the style of the Fast & Furious franchise, and the idea of creating a movie around Santa Claus as an action hero — where gift-giving becomes a mission only he can complete — is potentially intriguing. With this in mind, casting Johnson, J.K. Simmons, and Evans under the penmanship of the Fast saga’s Chris Morgan made it seem like their work was half done.

However, the end product turned out to be a misguided, unoriginal mash-up of far better movies executed in sharper ways. With no considerable humor or Christmas spirit, Red One failed to resonate. Rather than taking risks, it seemed far too interested in patronizing previous cinematic trends than in genuinely entertaining or possibly even moving its audience. As a result, critics tore it apart. Those audience members who did check it out left the theaters with only bad things to say. In all likelihood, this movie will be forgotten long before winter arrives.

Meanwhile, social media users were quick to mock the movie, pointing out how ridiculous Johnson’s statement about making Red One comparable to Oppenheimer now looks in retrospect. The movie has only made $34 million on a bloated $250 million budget, a fact that further fueled online ridicule.

Still, there is a silver lining to this colossal failure. A major rejection like this from audiences can serve as a wake-up call for studios — especially new entrants like Amazon’s MGM Studios, which handled production and domestic distribution of this movie. It shows that audiences remain strongly attached to great stories with genuine perspective and, most importantly, originality. This bomb proves that fans will settle for nothing less.

Ultimately, the legacy of Red One seems to be fans discovering that Johnson allegedly shows up to work eight hours late. One can only wish they had used that downtime to do more work on the script and make it at least a little inventive. If not for Johnson, then at least for Evans. And speaking of Evans, if his recent picks aren’t going to break the box office anyway, perhaps it’s time for him to go back to his roots and collaborate with auteur directors like Bong Joon-ho and Edgar Wright.