After three years in development, one of the biggest blockbuster team-ups of the decade is about to arrive in theaters, and it’s an original — for now.

“Red One,” which releases Nov. 15 via Amazon and MGM, seems like a brand-new holiday action movie based on its marketing. Plus, it features two huge movie stars: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Chris Evans. 

But when the movie was announced back in 2021, Johnson described it as an “enormous, fun and unique ‘Red One’ holiday universe for families around the world to enjoy.”

So, what exactly is a “‘Red One’ holiday universe?” To answer that, allow me to introduce you to one of the sneakiest power grabs in Hollywood: a phenomenon I call the “vanity production company.”

Johnson’s primary job is, of course, to act. But he’s also the co-founder of a production company called Seven Bucks Productions, which has influenced  Johnson’s filmography since 2012. Everything from “Jungle Cruise” (2021) to “Black Adam” (2022) to the forthcoming “Moana” live-action remake is being supervised by Seven Bucks nowadays. 

Seven Bucks Productions is just one of many companies like this. From Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort Productions to Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, these companies primarily exist to give stars a creative stake in the projects they create or to unite their films under one set of themes and values. 

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment is an excellent example of a vanity production company done right. Sure, they produce many films starring Robbie, but her company instead defines itself by its commitment to movies driven by women. 

Robbie notably did not insist on playing the titular character in the LuckyChap-produced “Barbie” (2023). That decision fell to director and co-writer Greta Gerwig — who ultimately cast her.

But not all of these companies are driven by an inclusive vision like the one Robbie drew up, and Seven Bucks Productions might be the most obvious in its attempt to make movies specifically for its star and his brand.

The most infamous manifestation of this priority was in the DC superhero movie “Black Adam” (2022) — a star vehicle Johnson had been making for the better part of a decade.  

Johnson had high hopes for this previously niche DC character. He pitched the Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav directly on a multiyear franchise plan for DC involving him and Henry Cavill’s Superman. It was a good idea in theory, since DC was scrambling for a new plan amid the numerous problems that were plaguing their movie brand at the time. 

But Johnson’s plan was a naked power grab that would give one actor total control over the only potential competitor to the mammoth Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Black Adam” had a solid box-office run to the tune of nearly $400 million, but it wasn’t enough to complete this coup. 

The “Black Adam” saga shows Johnson’s hunger to glide directly into a lucrative property and, by virtue of his own stardom, contort it for his own benefit. It’s why Johnson’s explicit attempt to create a Christmas franchise before even releasing a movie is so off-putting. 

YouTube video essayist Patrick H. Willems critiqued this strange distinction in a video entitled “When Movie Stars Become Brands:” 

“I’m sorry Dwayne, but you cannot just announce that an original movie is also a franchise film — that’s not how franchises work,” Willems said.

Franchises are not necessarily a bad thing, and Dwayne Johnson has anchored crowd-pleasing entertainment for decades now. But long and beloved sagas are born in the movie theater, not the boardroom. In other words: if the fans aren’t there, there is no franchise.

“Red One” could become the next beloved Christmas film and kickstart a series of jolly adventures, but it has to earn that distinction. Seven Bucks Productions is trying to skip a few steps and preemptively create the “Star Wars” of Christmas. 

If the movie is good, this discussion might not matter. But if it’s not, we all owe it to ourselves to see something with a bit more genuine passion — that way, moviegoers can ensure their box-office receipts won’t be spent on “Red Two.”

Sammy Bovitz is a sophomore writing about the business of film. His column, “Boardrooms & Blockbusters,” runs every other Thursday.