The weekend of its release coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when societal restrictions and regulations led to mass theater closures around the world.

After leading a successful rescue operation of hostages in Mombasa, U.S. Marine Ray Garrison and his wife Gina travel for a holiday at an Italian beachside town in the Amalfi Coast.

An amnesiac Ray awakens in the labs of Rising Spirit Technologies (RST), a company in Kuala Lumpur specializing in cybernetic enhancements for disabled US military personnel.

CEO and lead scientist Dr. Emil Harting tells Ray he is the first successful human subject of the "Bloodshot" program, resurrecting and healing him through the injection of experimental nanite technology now replacing his entire bloodstream.

This technology increases his strength and heals his injuries, but the nanites need to be regularly replaced and recharged or he will eventually succumb to damage and die again.

Ray is introduced to Dr. Harting's other patients, including female former U.S. Navy Diver "KT", former U.S. Army Ranger Marcus Tibbs, and ex-Navy SEAL Jimmy Dalton.

KT objects to Harting repeatedly manipulating Ray's memories so he will go after different targets without question or remorse, but she is ignored and reminded that RST can kill her by deactivating her enhancements.

Wilfred Wigans, a programmer forced to work for Baris, activates an EMP bomb that incapacitates Ray and severs his link with RST.

Ray tracks down Gina, not only learning she is actually still alive, but that their relationship ended five years ago, and she has since started a new life and family in London.

[9] In July 2017, it was reported that Jared Leto was in early negotiations to star in the film as Bloodshot,[10] but in March 2018, it was announced that Vin Diesel would portray the main character.

[17] In an interview for Inverse, Shamdasani, the longtime Valiant Comics publisher's CEO and Chief Creative Officer, said that Ken Watanabe would play the Harbinger villain Toyo Harada in a post credit scene, but because of a change of copyright it was not possible to film the cameo.

[citation needed] Principal photography began on August 6, 2018, in Cape Town, South Africa, and Prague, Czech Republic, with other filming taking place in Budapest, Hungary, in that same month.

[5] Despite the pandemic's effects on the film's box office return, Bloodshot was ranked number one on Digital Entertainment Group's "Watched at Home Top 20" list for the week ending May 9, 2020.

[2] In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside The Hunt and I Still Believe, and was projected to gross around $10 million from 2,861 theaters in its opening weekend.

The weekend was also noteworthy for being the lowest combined-grossing since October 1998, with all films totaling just $55.3 million, in large part from societal restrictions and regulations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The site's critics consensus reads: "Bloodshot gives Vin Diesel a solid opportunity to indulge in old-school action that should satisfy fans, even if the end result is disappointingly mediocre.

"[35] Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a mixed review, saying "[director] Wilson acquits himself adequately enough, emphasizing pacing over character development, but delivering a series of kinetically propelled scenes that clearly benefit from his extensive visual effects experience.

"[36] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, calling it ambitious but "intermittently entertaining" and "frantically overcooked, bursting with headache-inducing, rapid-cut action sequences".