Violent Night: does David Harbour Christmas film have a post credits scene, what does it mean - sequel

From director Tommy Wirkola (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters), Universal Picture’s Violent Night stars David Harbour from Stranger Things as Santa Claus, who unwittingly gets caught up in a hostage robbery plot whilst out on his rounds on Christmas Eve.

There’s only one thing Santa can do and that’s save those on his nice list and teach those on the naughty list a lethal lesson. The action-adventure movie has been likened to cult classic Die Hard which starred Bruce Willis, with director Wirkola revealing that the film “was a big influence.”

Hollywood has given Santa the “gritty reboot” treatment before of course - the 2020 Mel Gibson-starring festive revenge thriller Fatman is one of this writer’s Christmas guilty pleasures - and Violent Night has received praise from critics and fans alike.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What happens in Violent Night?

Violent Night tells the story of how Santa Claus, played by Harbour, gets caught up in a hostage robbery plot on Christmas Eve and has to take matters into his own hands, saving those on the nice list and handing out some harsh punishments to those who got stuck on the naughty.

The plot synopsis from Universal reads: “When a team of mercenaries breaks into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone inside hostage, the team isn’t prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus is on the grounds, and he’s about to show why this Nick is no saint.”

The Christmas film has been compared to the iconic 1980s movie Die Hard, which stars Bruce Willis as John McClane as he tries to save his wife after terrorists take her hostage during her work Christmas party. The two films share a similar synopsis, however this time, the hero isn’t an off-duty police detective, it’s Santa Claus himself.

Violent Night has been given a 15 age rating in the UK due to scenes of strong bloody violence, gore, language and sex references. In the US, it has an R rating, which stands for restricted viewing. This means anyone under the age of 17-years-old requires a parent or adult guardian to be present.

Does Violent NIght have a post-credits scene?

Violent Night does not have any extra scenes or teasers after the credits, but it does feature a brief, mid-credits sequence.

In the scene, Bert warns everyone that Santa is real, and to not to be on the naughty list in a selfie video he takes with one of the deceased Killsquad members.

What does it mean?

Within the context of the film, the scene seems to mean very little, and it’s not yet known if it’s referring to the possibility of a Violent Night sequel.

Harbour stated in November 2022 that plans to have Mrs. Claus return in a future sequel were discussed while the first movie was being made, adding that he thought Charlize Theron would be a good choice for the part.

A month or so later, director Wirkola acknowledged that he and the writers had been talking about the possibility of including Mrs. Claus, the North Pole and the elves in the narrative, but that the success of the first movie would determine whether or not a sequel will be made.

Following Violent NIght’s premiere at New York Comic Con in October, the film was expected to bring in roughly $10 million (£8.1 million) from US cinemas. It made $4.9 million (£4 million) on its opening day alone, so can probably be considered to be a box office success.

Producer Kelly McCormick has since said that a sequel would indeed be made, and that production would start in “the next few weeks.”