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Netflix has had a successful run with its original releases. Red Notice recently became the streaming service’s biggest movie debut, edging out the widely watched Bird Box. Red Notice features a star-studded cast of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, and Gal Gadot. The film even treats fans to an Easter egg via a QR code Johnson’s character uses at the masquerade party.

Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson couldn’t stop laughing on the set of ‘Red Notice’

Red Notice stars Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds at the Netflix movie's world premiere at Regal LA Live on November 3, 2021, in Los Angeles
‘Red Notice’ stars Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds | Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Netflix

Red Notice follows two international art thieves — Nolan Booth and Sarah Black, aka the Bishop (played by Reynolds and Gadot) — who are equally good at their game and want to beat the other in achieving the top spot as the best art thief in the world. Johnson portrays FBI Agent John Hartley, who partners with Interpol Inspector Urvashi Das (Ritu Arya) to catch Booth and foil his plans to steal the coveted Cleopatra’s bejeweled eggs.

Working on a tip provided by the Bishop, Hartley persuades Das to lock down the museum that holds one of the eggs. When he realizes the egg on display is a fake, he spots Booth, and a foot chase ensues. It ends in Booth’s escape, much to Hartley’s frustration.

However, Hartley gets revenge after he arrests Booth later. But as the FBI agent retrieves the egg, a poser steals it, landing Hartley in trouble with Das, who can’t find him anywhere in the system. After being transferred to a Russian prison, Hartley must team up with Booth to reclaim his life and prove his innocence.

The two end up chasing the Bishop to obtain the last egg. It’s later revealed that the Bishop and Hartley had been in cahoots, leaving Booth startled and betrayed. But he gets the last laugh as he blackmails them into working with him or risking arrest.

In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Reynolds revealed they would have finished filming Red Notice earlier if they hadn’t spent “90 percent of our time d**ing around.” The star said he and Johnson spent a lot of time cracking each other up and trying to force the other to break character, which Johnson confirmed.

An Easter egg in ‘Red Notice’ leads to a secret movie blooper

About an hour into Red Notice, Hartley and Booth secure an invite to an exclusive masquerade party where the second egg is hidden. Hartley hands security his invitation containing a QR code to gain entry to the event. As mundane as the invitation seems, the Red Notice crew put in an Easter egg for eagle-eyed viewers to catch.

According to We Got This Covered, sleuths can scan the code on Hartley’s invitation to watch an unlisted video of the misadventures of the foul-mouthed cast members on the set. The movie is also posted on YouTube for fans to watch.

The masquerade ball scene blew up the movie’s budget

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Although Red Notice includes plenty of memorable moments, the masquerade party stands out thanks to the sheer number of people in the scene and the elegance it conveys. The film’s writer and director, Rawson Marshall Thurber, told The Hollywood Reporter that the ball scene required an obscene number of extras.

Because the masquerade party had 300 extras, and COVID-19 restrictions wouldn’t allow hundreds of people on the set at once, the production team had to shoot in layers. Thurber said the visual effects crew then stitched together the scene’s layers, inflating the budget.