It’s an unforgettable December for Prime Video. According to the streamer, Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans’ Christmas film “Red One” drew a record-breaking 50 million viewers worldwide in its opening weekend on Prime Video (measured over four days), making it Amazon MGM Studios’ most-watched film debut ever on streaming. Platform.

It’s a true Christmas miracle for the film, which boasted a Santa Claus-sized budget of $250 million and grossed just $32 million in the US last month. Kevin Wilson, head of theatrical distribution at Amazon MGM, insightfully suggested that the studio was justified in spending big without demanding a lot of ticket sales in return diversity in November: “Whether people like it or not, the value of these films varies for our business model. …If we can get these films into theaters and cover our P&A (printing and advertising) costs, why shouldn’t we? We get a huge marketing campaign paid for before the film hits streaming.”

Despite critics like diversityOwen Gleiberman directed most of the film, with a “rotten” average of 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film fared better with audiences and received an “A-” grade from cinemagoer polling institute CinemaScore.

“Red One,” which is still playing worldwide on over 3,000 screens in North America and 3,300 screens internationally, also stars Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju, Nick Kroll, Wesley Kimmel and JK Simmons. Directed by Jake Kasdan from a screenplay by Chris Morgan. Producers are Hiram Garcia, Johnson and Dany Garcia of Seven Bucks Productions, Morgan of Chris Morgan Productions and Kasdan and Melvin Mar of The Detective Agency.

The PG-13 Christmas action comedy follows Johnson’s Callum Drift, the North Pole’s head of security, as he reluctantly teams up with Chris Evans’ villainous hacker Jack O’Malley to find a kidnapped Santa Claus in time for Christmas.

“Given the audience response to ‘Red One’ in both theaters and on Prime Video, the film will clearly be a holiday favorite for years to come,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, on the streaming debut of the film. “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 One, 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. It’s great to see our plan paying off for customers and we’re incredibly grateful to the entire film crew and cast who helped make this happen.”

Prime Video touted Jake Gyllenhaal’s “Road House” as its most-watched debut earlier this year, also citing 50 million viewers, although that number was recorded over two weekends compared to the four-day time slot for “Red One.”