Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Red One’ Set for Theatrical Release in China

Red One, a Christmas adventure comedy starring Dwayne Johnson, is set to be released in Chinese cinemas.

The film is directed by Jake Kasdan and is about the kidnapping of Santa Claus (codenamed Red One). To save Christmas, the North Pole’s security chief (Johnson) must team up with the world’s most notorious bounty hunter (Chris Evans) and embark on an action-packed mission around the world.

The film will be released in China on November 8th. The date means that China will be one of the first territories for the film to be released, with the film opening in the Middle Kingdom a week before its planned North American release on November 15.

The movie is supported by Amazon MGM Studios and is released by Warner Bros. in the majority of global regions. Warner is believed to have handled the import negotiations, regulatory permissions, and local marketing, even though revenue-sharing import movies are typically marketed in China through a state-owned company.

A drawback for the movie is the relatively brief marketing ramp. Furthermore, Chinese official media has already issued a warning that it might not be a huge hit due to its non-franchise status. Johnson is very popular in China, though.

Johnson has received a great deal of admiration, appreciation, and praise in China over the years; pundits have emphasized the importance of his charisma, personality, and physical appearance. His efforts to study Mandarin Chinese and his partnerships with Chinese talent have also continued to this day.

The state-run tabloid Global Times, which is well-known for its witty analysis of US-China relations, wrote a whole piece in 2020 expressing sympathy for Johnson when he contracted COVID-19. The narrative started with a Johnson Instagram post that received 150 million views after being reposted on the Sina Weibo social media network.

Before COVID, Johnson’s movies—especially the “Fast & Furious” series—consistently had great box office success in China. At least four of Johnson’s movies, “Furious 7” from 2015, “The Fate of the Furious” from 2017, “Rampage” from 2018, and “Skyscraper” from 2018, all had higher box office receipts in China than they did in North America.

Part of “Skyscraper” was also filmed in China. Johnson is portrayed as a former FBI agent defending the highest skyscraper in Hong Kong from a group of terrorists.

However, most Hollywood productions in the post-COVID period have found it difficult to adapt to the shifting preferences and lifestyles of mainland Chinese viewers. They are currently being imported under rather loose restrictions, and they represent little danger to the market domination of Chinese-made photographs. If anything, Chinese exhibitors might be holding out hope that some of the upcoming Hollywood films will revive the struggling theater industry.

All eight of the “Harry Potter” films are currently being rereleased in Chinese theaters, with “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” being the first to debut in second place over the most recent weekend. While “Venom: The Last Dance,” which is far more anticipated, will debut on Chinese screens on October 23, “Joker Folie A Deux” will be released on Wednesday.