Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s inexplicable attempt to create a new Christmas classic Redwas a flop at the box office. Against a budget of $200-250 million, it grossed $92.5 million domestically and $175 million worldwide. But as one industry insider put it deadline“Amazon is a place where there are no stakes.” The giant tech company is free to spend exorbitant money as it pleases and then claim its success based on mysterious metrics. For example now this Red Streaming on Prime, the film is apparently the service’s biggest premiere ever, with over 50 million global viewers in its first four days The Hollywood Reporter.

Of course, it makes sense to a certain extent that people who weren’t motivated to go to the theater and pay for it Red The ticket might be passively interested enough to stream it once it lands on a service it’s already paid for. However, it’s worth noting that Amazon doesn’t release any of the data behind its data, so we don’t really know how the company arrived at this “over 50 million” number. The previous “biggest opening” on Prime Video was Jake Gyllenhaal’s Street housewhich, according to the service, attracted 50 million viewers in its first two weeks. But we plebs have no way of fact-checking Amazon.

Given the business model Red could well be the success that Amazon claims. Red was designed for streaming, so recouping the costs through a theatrical release was probably never the goal. In fact, one could argue that streaming numbers weren’t the ultimate goal either; Although Amazon is now in the entertainment industry, it is still ultimately an e-commerce company. Just as Apple’s entertainment goals are ultimately to sell technology, Amazon’s goal is ultimately to sell things. And whether it can advertise against it Red and sell more stuff, well….

In any case, Amazon also claims that the extremely theatrical broadcast was a blessing for the streaming premiere. “Every film is different and we are so grateful for the partnership with our filmmakers who together found the right strategy to bring this film to the widest possible audience. With Red“There was no doubt that the strategy had to include a theatrical release and an associated marketing campaign that drew audiences to theaters and raised awareness of the film among viewers who ultimately tuned in to Prime Video,” says Jennifer Salke, director from Amazon MGM Studios. said in a statement (via THR). “It’s a joy to see our plan pay off for customers, and we’re incredibly grateful to the entire film crew and cast who helped make this happen.”