Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s new Christmas movie Red One may not have fared well at the box office but it has received appreciation for paying a subtle tribute to Bruce Willis’ 1988 blockbuster hit, Die Hard. The action comedy film which also stars Chris Evans alongside The Rock, chronicles the rescue mission of Santa Claus, played by JJ Simmons, who has been abducted by the villain. While the two movies could not be further from each other, they both use Christmas as a major plot point.
Red One’s ending montage shows Simmons’ Santa crawling through the air vents to distribute gifts to houses. This moment appears to be a reference to one of Die Hard’s most memorable scenes in which Willis’ character, John McClane, is forced to crawl through the vents of Nakatomi Plaza to escape Alexander Godunov’s East German terrorist, Karl Vreski. The scene was rendered iconic when McClane, making his way through the tunnel, flips open a lighter and delivers the unforgettable line: “Come out to the coast, have a few laughs.”
According to reports, although The Rock is a huge Willis fan, it was Red One director, Jake Kasdan, a self-avowed Die Hard fanatic, who pushed for the scene to be added to the movie. Meanwhile, this was not the first time when a movie involving The Rock has paid respect to Willis for his thrilling, action movies from the eighties. In 2018, Mr Johnson’s Skyscraper was also heavily inspired by Willis’ works.
“I wanted to make a film that paid homage and respect to the classic action movies that inspired me and entire generations – Die Hard to Towering Inferno to The Fugitive,” Mr Johnson said at the time, who previously starred alongside Willis in 2013’s G.I Joe: Retaliation.
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Red One’s box office
Red One – which hit cinema screens on November 15, received a meagre 34 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite boasting of a star-studded cast, estimates suggest that Red One, filmed on a budget of $250 million, could only make $32.1 million in its opening weekend. As of the last update, the movie was expected to cross the $100 million mark, with $55 million coming from overseas territories.
In the lead-up to the release, The Rock invited criticism for comparing his movie to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Mr Johnson said it was the Oscar-winning movie that motivated him to shoot his movie in IMAX and give it a major theatrical release.
