Violent Night 2 Release Date Set for David Harbour’s Santa Claus Sequel

A new update from Universal Pictures confirms the release date for Violent Night 2, offering a key detail about the sequel’s post-Thanksgiving rollout. The film is set for an early December debut, as David Harbour returns as Santa in the holiday-themed action follow-up.

David Harbour-led Violent Night 2 gets 2026 release date

Violent Night 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on Wednesday, December 4, 2026.

Universal Pictures confirmed the release date for the sequel, which follows the success of the original 2022 holiday action-comedy. Tommy Wirkola returns as director, with Pat Casey and Josh Miller also back as screenwriters.

David Harbour reprises his role as the unconventional Santa Claus. The sequel continues the partnership between Universal and 87North, with Kelly McCormick and David Leitch producing again (via Deadline).

The first Violent Night debuted in early December 2022 and earned $13.4 million domestically during its opening weekend. It grossed $50 million in the U.S. and Canada and $76 million globally on a $20 million production budget.

The December 4 release date positions the film during a traditionally favorable slot for genre titles. The first weekend of December has previously hosted successful low-budget horror or genre releases. In comparison, AMC’s Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé opened to $21.8 million but ended with $33.8 million.

Meanwhile, Universal is set to release the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon on June 13, 2025. Early projections estimate a domestic opening between $65 million and $75 million and a global debut between $175 million and $185 million.

The first Violent Night starred David Harbour, John Leguizamo, Alex Hassell, and Beverly D’Angelo. It centered on a battle between a cynical Santa and a group of mercenaries during a holiday hostage situation. The sequel continues the story with Harbour’s Santa returning for another mission.

Violent Night 2 maintains the creative and production team from the original and aims to follow its predecessor’s December success pattern.

Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on SuperHeroHype.

Source: Comingsoon.net