# ‘John Wick’ Meets ‘The Northman’ in HBO Max’s New Official Late-Night Sleeper Hit

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/john-wick-meets-the-northman-in-hbo-maxs-new-official-late-night-sleeper-hit/
- Published: 2026-09-26T16:10:12+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-26T16:20:08+00:00
- Original publisher: Collider
- Original article: https://collider.com/violent-night-hbo-max-streaming-hit-david-harbour-september-2026/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film, TV

## Key points

- Viking Santa becomes a global HBO Max streaming hit.
- The film earned over $75 million worldwide.
- A sequel arrives in cinemas this December.

## Summary

*Violent Night*, starring David Harbour as a Viking Santa who becomes a John Wick-style vigilante, has become an unexpected streaming success on HBO Max. The 2022 action film’s continued popularity highlights the lasting influence of the *John Wick* franchise on hard-edged action cinema and appears to have helped prompt a sequel.

Made for a reported $20 million, *Violent Night* earned more than $75 million worldwide and holds a 74% critics’ score and an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. FlixPatrol currently lists it among HBO Max’s most-watched films globally, while *Violent Night 2*, directed by Tommy Wirkola and featuring Kristen Bell and Jared Harris, is due in cinemas this December.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.