Production Budget Analysis

The production budget for A Christmas Story Christmas (2022) has not been publicly disclosed.

CAST: Peter Billingsley, Erinn Hayes, Julie Hagerty, Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, R.D. Robb DIRECTOR: Clay Kaytis CINEMATOGRAPHY: Matthew Clark MUSIC: Jeff Morrow PRODUCTION: Wild West Picture Show Productions, Legendary Pictures, Toberoff Productions

Box Office Performance

Theatrical box office data is not publicly available for A Christmas Story Christmas (2022). This may indicate a limited release, direct-to-streaming, or a release predating modern box office tracking.

Profitability Assessment

Insufficient publicly available data to assess profitability.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

Franchise: A Christmas Story Christmas is part of the A Christmas Story Collection.

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Production

In January 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced that a legacy sequel to A Christmas Story was in development with a script from Nick Schenk who also serves as executive producer. Clay Kaytis was hired to direct. The film is dedicated to Darren McGavin (who played "The Old Man" in the original film), who died on February 25, 2006. The staff acquired option rights to much of original author Jean Shepherd's bibliography for use in the film, working several quotes from Shepherd's books into the finished script.

Shortly after its official announcement of the film, Billingsley was cast to reprise his role as Ralphie Parker, and hired as a producer alongside Vince Vaughn. In February, Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, R. D. Robb, Zack Ward, and Yano Anaya were cast to reprise their roles as Randy Parker, Flick, Schwartz, Scut Farkus, and Grover Dill, respectively. Billingsley noted that all of them had remained friends since making the original film and were all eager to reprise their roles. Tedde Moore was asked to reprise her role as Miss Shields from the original film, but declined.

Principal photography began in late February 2022 in Hungary and Bulgaria and wrapped in April 2022. Hungary served as a stand-in for the town of Hohman, Indiana with Bulgaria hosting key interior and exterior shots. Addition scenes were also filmed in Cleveland, Ohio and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Billingsley and the crew commissioned exact replicas of the house which was depicted in the original film and the neighborhood enhancing the authenticity of the film.

▸ Marketing & Release

The teaser trailer was released on October 17, 2022, which featured brief glimpses of actor Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker recreating iconic moments from the original while introducing his character's family in the film's 1973 setting. The full official trailer followed on November 1, 2022, which expanded on the film's nostalgic elements by showcasing returning characters of Flick and Schwartz, alongside new comedic scenarios involving Ralphie's quest to replicate his childhood Christmas for his own two children.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Summary: 1 nomination total

CRITICAL RECEPTION

On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety appreciated the film's focus on early 1970's nostalgia and Ralphie's growth as a writer, praising it for its "mild and toasty" sentiment, while noting that while the film is still enjoyable, he felt that the story lacked the "rascally exuberance" of the original film. Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter called the film a "sweet sequel" while praising the nostalgic callbacks and its family-oriented story despite being familiar, while noting that it is "forgettable" in parts, criticizing its formulaic elements that prioritize nostalgia for the original film over this film's fresh invention.