Production Budget Analysis

The production budget for Silent Night (2023) has not been publicly disclosed.

CAST: Joel Kinnaman, Kid Cudi, Harold Torres, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Valeria Santaella, Vinny O'Brien DIRECTOR: John Woo CINEMATOGRAPHY: Sharone Meir MUSIC: Marco Beltrami PRODUCTION: Thunder Road, Capstone Group, A Better Tomorrow Films, Lionsgate

Box Office Performance

Theatrical box office data is not publicly available for Silent Night (2023). 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

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Production

In October 2021, Silent Night was first announced as an action film without spoken dialogue, with John Woo as director and Joel Kinnaman as lead star. In March 2022, a special effects assistant was injured during pre-production in a stunt trial run in Mexico City. The crew member was hit by a car, breaking his femur and dislocating his shoulder. In April 2022, Kid Cudi, Harold Torres, and Catalina Sandino Moreno were added to the cast. Filming wrapped on May 17, 2022. Marco Beltrami composed the film's score.

In March 2023, producer Erica Lee confirmed the film features no dialogue, explaining "It really has no dialogue. It was another spec script that I was given and read, and I was like, 'This is either going to be a genius move or a disaster, there's no in between.' It's execution dependent for sure. I mean, John Woo kills it. Joel Kinnaman is the star and really delivers. I mean, there's some ambient noise and background and chatter like radio and stuff like that. But, yeah, it's awesome. I can't wait for you to see it."

Woo decided to film the action in a more realistic manner that supports the emotional drama instead of having the action itself being the entertaining aspect, which was signature of his previous films. For the film, Kinnaman decided to try method acting for the first time and stop speaking for the entirety of the shoot. The lack of communication left the actor feeling lonely, and after multiple start attempts, he decided that the silent car ride to his first day on set was long enough to get him excited for the film.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Summary: 3 nominations total

CRITICAL RECEPTION

Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 67% overall positive score, with 38% saying they would definitely recommend the film. Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal criticized the decision to have no dialogue in the film, stating that the result is "surprisingly dull".

Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "Silly as it might be, Silent Night gives audiences reason to get excited about the Hong Kong innovator once again, ranking as one of the few bloody Christmas counterprogrammers since Die Hard that feels worthy of repeat viewing down the road". Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "It's to Woo's and screenwriter Robert Lynn's credit, as well the fiercely commanding, intensely physical performance by Kinnaman, that the film's lack of dialogue proves not a gimmick but an asset. Norma Desmond would surely have approved". He noted the film's highlight was "not one of many lavishly staged gun battles, but an intensely brutal, lengthy hand-to-hand combat between Brian and one of Playa's minions that makes the classic fight scene in Hitchcock's Torn Curtain seem like a schoolyard tussle".

Glenn Kenny of The New York Times praised the film for its well-crafted and brutal action scenes, stating that "there’s a lot of sound and fury and it works: This is suspenseful and cathartic, and even the schmaltzy stuff is so distinctly John Woo that it’s welcome." Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gave the film a score of four out of four stars, considering it to be among the best films directed by Woo and "one of the most deliriously cinematic movies of the year".