Violent Night

Last updated

Violent Night
Violent Night poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Tommy Wirkola
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMatthew Weston
Edited byJim Page
Music by Dominic Lewis
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
  • October 7, 2022 (2022-10-07)(NYCC)
  • December 2, 2022 (2022-12-02)(United States)
Running time
107 minutes [2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million [3]
Box office$76.6 million [4] [5]

Violent Night is a 2022 American Christmas action comedy film directed by Tommy Wirkola and written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller. It follows Santa Claus (portrayed by David Harbour) as he fights mercenaries who have taken a wealthy family hostage in their home. [6] The film also stars John Leguizamo, Alex Hassell, and Beverly D'Angelo.

Contents

Violent Night had its world premiere at the New York Comic Con on October 7, 2022. Universal Pictures released the film in theaters in the United States on December 2, 2022. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $76.6 million worldwide. A sequel is in development.

Plot

In Greenwich, Connecticut, Jason Lightstone and his estranged wife Linda take their daughter Trudy to his mother, Gertrude's, mansion for a Christmas gathering. They overhear Trudy's Christmas wish for family unity through an old walkie-talkie. Other family members at the gathering are Jason's sister Alva, her boyfriend Morgan Steel, and her son Bert. Meanwhile, a drunk Santa Claus arrives at the estate, just as a group of mercenaries with holiday codenames, led by "Mr. Scrooge", raid the house and take the family hostage.

Startled by one of the mercenaries, Tinsel, shooting his weapon, Santa's reindeer are frightened off the roof. Tinsel is pulled out of a window and impaled on an icicle. Stranded, Santa resolves to rescue Trudy and her family from Scrooge, who wants $300 million cash hidden in a vault in the mansion. After killing the mercenary Frosty, Santa takes his radio and finds Trudy's channel. He then finds that the mercenaries are on his "naughty list". When Scrooge discovers that Trudy has been talking with Santa on her walkie-talkie, Jason denies Santa's existence, and a distraught Trudy runs past the kidnappers and successfully hides in the attic. Santa reassures her over the radio, revealing to her his ancient Viking warrior past as "Nicomund the Red".

Wounded, Santa is captured by Scrooge, who hates Christmas. Recognizing their real identities, Santa convinces henchmen Gingerbread and Candy Cane of his authenticity and escapes magically, although his magic sack is burned. Gertrude's "kill squad", led by Commander Thorp, arrives and kills Morgan—revealing their allegiance to Scrooge. Discovering an empty vault, Scrooge threatens Linda. Jason admits he stole the money, hidden in an outdoor nativity, and planned to flee with his family. Gertrude forgives him, revealing this as a Lightstone family rite of passage and naming him her heir.

In a shed, Santa finds a sledgehammer and eliminates the kill squad. Trudy sets up Home Alone -inspired traps, leading to Gingerbread's death. Santa kills Candy Cane before she can shoot Trudy. Alva, Linda, and Bert thwart Scrooge's order to kill hostages by killing Krampus. Scrooge and Thorp escape into the woods with Gertrude and the money, pursued by Santa, who kills Peppermint. Linda kills Sugarplum and Jingle, and Trudy witnesses her parents' reunion. Santa and Scrooge fight in a cabin; as they grapple, a badly wounded Santa magically flies up the chimney, mangling Scrooge's body and killing him. Thorp shoots Santa but is killed by a vindictive Gertrude.

Despite using some burnt money for warmth, Santa succumbs to the gunshot wounds. Trudy rallies her family to affirm their belief in Santa, healing him from death. Confused by the magic, but renewed in faith, Santa receives his returning reindeer, a note from Mrs. Claus, a new gift sack, and the return of his long-lost hammer, Skullcrusher. He bids Trudy farewell and continues his gift deliveries.

In a mid-credits scene, Bert vlogs next to a dead mercenary, telling his viewers that Santa is real and warning them to behave during Christmas.

Cast

Production

Development

In March 2020, Universal Pictures announced that it acquired the original screenplay to Violent Night by Pat Casey and Josh Miller and that 87North Productions would produce. [7] In November 2021, David Harbour was cast in the lead role, with Tommy Wirkola set to direct. [8] Wirkola was hired to direct after he sent an early cut of his prior film The Trip to producers at 87North, and after enjoying it, they sent him the Violent Night script. [9] In early 2022, John Leguizamo, Beverly D'Angelo, Alex Hassell, Alexis Louder, Edi Patterson, Cam Gigandet, and André Eriksen were confirmed to star. [10] [11] [12]

Filming

The shooting of the film took place from January–March 2022 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. [13] [14]

Release

Violent Night had its world premiere at the New York Comic Con on October 7, 2022. Universal Pictures released the film in the United States and Canada on December 2, 2022. [15]

Home media

Violent Night was released on VOD on December 20, 2022. The film was added to Peacock on January 20, 2023. That same day, it became available for digital purchase, while the Blu-ray and DVD release followed on January 24. [16]

Reception

Box office

Violent Night grossed $50.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $26.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $76.6 million. [4] [5]

In the United States and Canada, the film was projected to gross around $10 million from 3,682 theaters in its opening weekend. [3] it made $4.9 million on its first day, including $1.1 million from Thursday night previews, and went on to debut to $13.5 million, finishing second behind holdover Black Panther: Wakanda Forever . [17] [18] The film fell 37% in its sophomore weekend to $8.7 million, remaining in second. [19]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 73% based on 208 reviews with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads "Violent Night isn't as wildly entertaining as its concept might suggest, but for those seeking harder-edged holiday fare, it may be a ho-ho-whole lot of fun." [20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [21] Opening weekend audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an overall positive score of 76%. [18]

MovieWeb wrote, "The first reviews... heap praise on David Harbour's savage Santa Claus." [22] Syfy wrote that "critics hail what might be a new holiday classic that more than earns its R-rating by turning every conceivable Christmas item into a deadly weapon" and that Harbour "steals the show". [23] Total Film wrote that reviews were mixed, "Some critics are calling Tommy Wirkola's movie a fun riff on the festive genre, while others are critical of its plot and length." [24] Box Office Mojo said, "Critics mostly like it." [25]

Sequel

In November 2022, Harbour mentioned that there were discussions of Mrs. Claus appearing in a potential sequel during production of the first film. The actor expressed interest in seeing Charlize Theron in the role. [26] In December of the same year, Wirkola confirmed that there have been ongoing discussions between him and the writers, with potential for Mrs. Claus, the North Pole, and the elves factoring into the story. The filmmaker stated that the realization of a follow-up movie depended on the success of the first film. [27] Later that month, producer Kelly McCormick confirmed that all creatives involved intended to make a sequel with work on the project commencing in "the next few weeks". [28] In January 2023, it was confirmed that a sequel is already in development. [29] In March 2024, Harbour said in an interview that production could start in early 2025 if "the time would be found in everyone's schedule". [30] In December 2024, Harbour claimed that writing was already underway. [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Santa Clause</i> 1994 film directed by John Pasquin

The Santa Clause is a 1994 American Christmas fantasy comedy film directed by John Pasquin and written by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick. The first instalment in The Santa Clause franchise, it stars Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, an ordinary man who seemingly causes Santa Claus to fall from his roof to his supposed death on Christmas Eve. When he and his young son, Charlie, finish the late St. Nick's trip and deliveries, they go to the North Pole where Scott learns that he must become the new Santa and convince those he loves that he is indeed Santa Claus.

<i>Elf</i> (film) 2003 American Christmas comedy film

Elf is a 2003 American Christmas comedy film directed by Jon Favreau and written by David Berenbaum. It stars Will Ferrell as Buddy, a human raised by Santa's elves, who learns about his origins and heads to New York City to meet his biological father. James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner and Bob Newhart appear in supporting roles.

<i>Scrooged</i> 1988 film by Richard Donner

Scrooged is a 1988 American Christmas fantasy black comedy film directed by Richard Donner and written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue. Based on the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Scrooged is a modern retelling that follows Bill Murray as Frank Cross, a cynical and selfish television executive who is visited by a succession of ghosts on Christmas Eve intent on helping him regain his Christmas spirit. The film also stars Karen Allen, John Forsythe, John Glover, Bobcat Goldthwait, Carol Kane, Robert Mitchum, Michael J. Pollard, and Alfre Woodard.

<i>A Christmas Story</i> 1983 film by Bob Clark

A Christmas Story is a 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on the 1966 book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd, with some elements from his 1971 book Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters. It stars Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, and Peter Billingsley, and follows a young boy and his family's misadventures during Christmas time in December 1940. It is the third installment in the Parker Family Saga.

<i>Mickeys Twice Upon a Christmas</i> 2004 animated film

Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas is a 2004 American direct-to-video animated Christmas anthology fantasy film produced by Disneytoon Studios and directed by Matthew O'Callaghan. The film includes stories directed by Peggy Holmes, O'Callaghan, Theresa Cullen, and Carole Holliday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grinch</span> Fictional character created by Dr. Seuss

The Grinch is a character created by children's author and cartoonist Dr. Seuss. He is best known as the titular main protagonist of the 1957 children's book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! He has been portrayed and voiced by many actors, including Boris Karloff, Hans Conried, Bob Holt, Walter Matthau, Anthony Asbury, Jim Carrey, Rik Mayall, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matthew Morrison, David Howard Thornton, and James Austin Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Claus</span> Legendary Christmas figure

Santa Claus is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christmas Eve. Christmas elves are said to make the gifts in Santa's workshop, while flying reindeer pull his sleigh through the air.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?</span> Song

"¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?" is a 1958 novelty Christmas song written by George Scheck, Rod Parker, and Al Greiner and performed by Augie Rios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">25 Days of Christmas</span> An annual seasonal television event by Freeform

Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas is an American annual seasonal event of Christmas programming broadcast during the month of December by the U.S. cable network Freeform. The event was first held in 1996, and has been an annual fixture of the channel through its various incarnations, including The Family Channel, Fox Family, ABC Family, and Freeform. The brand covers airings of classic holiday specials as well as new Christmas-themed television movies each year; generally few of the network's original series air during the time period, outside of Christmas-themed episodes. In 2006, the lineup has also included airings of general, family films that Freeform holds rights to, which included the Harry Potter films until January 2017, and other Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures films. In 2007, the block was extended to November with a Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas block. 25 Days of Christmas programming often attracts major surges in viewership for Freeform, with higher-profile film airings often attracting 3–4 million viewers or more.

"Mr. Monk and the Man Who Shot Santa Claus" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the American comedy-drama detective television series Monk, and the show's 87th episode overall. The series follows Adrian Monk, a private detective with obsessive–compulsive disorder and multiple phobias, and his assistant Natalie Teeger. In this episode, Monk is labeled by media as a social pariah as he is accused of shooting a man dressed in Santa Claus apparel, and must prove his innocence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Wirkola</span> Norwegian filmmaker

Tommy Wirkola is a Norwegian film director and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Leguizamo</span> American comedian and actor

John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and film producer. He has appeared in over 100 films, produced over 20 films and documentaries, made over 30 television appearances, and has produced various television projects. He has also written and performed for the Broadway stage receiving four Tony Award nominations for Freak in 1998, Sexaholix in 2002, and Latin History for Morons in 2018. He received a Special Tony Award in 2018.

<i>Arthur Christmas</i> 2011 animated Christmas comedy film

Arthur Christmas is a 2011 animated Christmas comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, and Aardman Features and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film is Aardman's second computer-animated feature film after 2006's Flushed Away, It was directed by Sarah Smith, co-directed by Barry Cook, written by Smith and Peter Baynham, and starring the voices of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, and Ashley Jensen. The film tells the story of Santa Claus' family as one of his sons works to deliver an overlooked bicycle to a little girl in Trelew, Cornwall, England before Christmas morning.

<i>The Santa Clause</i> (franchise) American film series and media franchise

The Santa Clause is a media franchise that consists of three American holiday family-comedy theatrical feature films starring Tim Allen, and one television series for Disney+. Based on an original story by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick, the plot centers around Scott Calvin's transformation into Santa Claus, and his adventures thereafter.

<i>The Christmas Chronicles</i> 2018 American Christmas comedy film

The Christmas Chronicles is a 2018 American Christmas comedy film directed by Clay Kaytis from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman. The film stars Kurt Russell, Judah Lewis, Darby Camp, Lamorne Morris, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and Oliver Hudson. It is the first installment in The Christmas Chronicles film series. The film was produced by 1492 Pictures and Wonder Worldwide and was released on November 22, 2018, on Netflix.

<i>The Menu</i> (2022 film) Film by Mark Mylod

The Menu is a 2022 American comedy horror film directed by Mark Mylod and written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Judith Light, and John Leguizamo. It follows a foodie and his date traveling to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu but reveals shocking surprises throughout the meal.

<i>Red One</i> (film) 2024 film by Jake Kasdan

Red One is a 2024 American Christmas action film directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Chris Morgan, from an original story by Hiram Garcia. It stars Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, J. K. Simmons, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Nick Kroll, Kristofer Hivju, and Wesley Kimmel. In the film, Callum Drift (Johnson), the head of North Pole security, teams up with the hacker Jack O'Malley (Evans) to locate a kidnapped Santa Claus (Simmons) on Christmas Eve.

<i>The Santa Clauses</i> 2022 American television series

The Santa Clauses is an American Christmas fantasy comedy television series created by Jack Burditt for Disney+ and based on The Santa Clause film series. Serving as a sequel to The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Eric Lloyd, and David Krumholtz all reprise their roles from the film series. Jack Burditt serves as showrunner and executive producer. It premiered on November 16, 2022. In December 2022, The Santa Clauses was renewed for a second season which premiered with two episodes on November 8, 2023.

References

  1. Gleiberman, Owen (November 29, 2022). "'Violent Night' Review: David Harbour Stars in Your Basic, Everyday Heist Meets Bloody Action Santa Meets 'Home Alone' Christmas Thriller". Variety . Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  2. "Violent Night (15)". British Board of Film Classification . Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Rubin, Rebecca (November 30, 2022). "Box Office: David Harbour's 'Violent Night' Aims for $10 Million Debut, but No Match for 'Wakanda Forever'". Variety . Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Violent Night (2022)". The Numbers . Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Violent Night (2022)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  6. "Story | Violent Night". Universal Pictures. October 29, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  7. Fleming, Mike Jr (March 3, 2020). "Universal Lands Violent Night Pitch By Sonic The Hedgehog Scribes Pat Casey & Josh Miller". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  8. Welk, Brian (November 16, 2021). "David Harbour to Star in Holiday Action Film Violent Night". TheWrap . Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  9. Davids, Brian (December 6, 2022). "Violent Night Director Tommy Wirkola Explains How 'Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters' Paved the Way for His Second Studio Movie". The Hollywood Reporter . PMRC. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  10. Kit, Borys (February 14, 2022). "John Leguizamo, Beverly D'Angelo Join David Harbour in Violent Night (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  11. Grobar, Matt (March 10, 2022). "Violent Night: Edi Patterson & Cam Gigandet Join David Harbour In Universal Pictures' Holiday Thriller". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on October 15, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  12. Grobar, Matt (April 25, 2022). "Meghan Leathers Joins Paramount+ Crime Thriller Finestkind; Universal's Holiday Thriller Violent Night Adds André Eriksen". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  13. King, Randall (November 20, 2021). "A Christmas thriller? Stranger things have happened". Winnipeg Free Press . Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  14. Bria, Bill (December 2, 2022). "Violent Night Producer Kelly McCormick On Shooting In The Cold (And With Real Reindeer) [Exclusive Interview]". SlashFilm. Archived from the original on August 17, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  15. McCall, Kevin (September 14, 2022). "David Harbour's Holiday Flick Violent Night to Screen at NYCC". Collider . Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  16. Prange, Stephanie (January 13, 2023). "'Violent Night' Headed to Digital Jan. 20, Disc Jan. 24". Media Play News . Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  17. McClintock, Pamela (December 2, 2022). "Box Office: 'Violent Night' Unwraps $1.1M in Thursday Evening Previews". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  18. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 4, 2022). "'Wakanda Forever' Overperforms During Sleepy December Weekend; 'Violent Night' Too With $13M+ – Sunday Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  19. D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 11, 2022). "Weekend Box Office At $38M, Near 2022 Low Before 'Avatar: The Way Of Water' Soaks Up All The Air – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  20. "Violent Night". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  21. "Violent Night Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  22. Fuge, Jonathan (November 30, 2022). "Violent Night Reviews Heap Praise on David Harbour's Action-Fueled Santa Claus". MovieWeb .
  23. Weiss, Josh (November 30, 2022). "Violent Night\u0027: Critics say David Harbour is 'a Santa for the ages' in merrily bloody Christmas romp". Syfy . Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  24. Watson, Fay (December 1, 2022). "Violent Night's reviews call it an R-rated version of Die Hard meets Home Alone". Total Film . Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  25. Mendelsohn, Sam (December 4, 2022). "'Violent Night's' Solid $13 Million Start Can't Top 'Wakanda Forever's' $18 Million In Another Slow Weekend". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  26. Reyes, Mike (November 30, 2022). "Violent Night's David Harbour Has The Perfect Mrs. Claus Dream Cast For A Potential Sequel". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  27. Davids, Brian (December 6, 2022). "'Violent Night' Director Tommy Wirkola Explains How 'Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters' Paved the Way for His Second Studio Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  28. Oddo, Marco Vito (December 2, 2022). "'Violent Night 2': Producer Hopes to Start Working on Sequel in a Few Weeks". Colider. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  29. Taylor, Drew (January 23, 2023). "Violent Night 2 Is Already in the Works, Get Ready". TheWrap . Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  30. Freitag, Lee (March 13, 2024). "David Harbour's Violent Night 2 Gets a Promising Update". CBR. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  31. Fuge, Jonathan (December 5, 2024). "It's Christmas Come Early for Action Fans Thanks to David Harbour & 'Violent Night 2'". MovieWeb. Retrieved December 5, 2024.