Problems plague The Rock's new Christmas movie, which has now ballooned to a $250M budget

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Production issues — ranging from Johnson’s chronic lateness and lack of professionalism on set to producers’ inexperience — caused costs on the movie co-starring Chris Evans and J.K. Simmons to spiral upwards to a final budget over $250 million, a sum more fitting for a superhero tentpole.

According to more than a dozen insiders directly involved in the project, the “Red One” production was a perfect storm of problems compounded by the inexperience of the film’s lead producer Hiram Garcia and Amazon MGM feature and production executives Julie Rapaport and Glenn Gainor, who are overseeing the project.

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Johnson was late an average of seven to eight hours per day and missed several entire days of production, ballooning costs by at least $50 million according to three insiders who insisted on anonymity for fear of being fired.

“It was a f–king disaster,” said one insider. On days when Johnson didn’t show up at all the production crew was forced to shoot around him, the insiders added.

“Dwayne truly doesn’t give a f–k,” one insider bluntly said.

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On previous films, Johnson has made a habit of peeing in a water bottle to save time, upsetting crew members.

“On set, away from his trailer, if he needs to pee, he doesn’t go to the public bathroom,” said one insider who knows the movie star well. “He pees in a Voss water bottle and his team or a PA has to dispose of it.”

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