Bad Santa (2003): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Bad Santa is a 2003 comedy drama directed by Terry Zwigoff, starring Billy Bob Thornton, John Ritter and Bernie Mac. It runs 1 hour 31 minutes and earned $76.5 million worldwide on a $23 million budget. It earned 1 award nomination, including Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Actor) at the Golden Globes 2004. Critics gave it 23% on Rotten Tomatoes and 70 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.0/10.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 31m (91 min)
- Director
- Terry Zwigoff
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Dimension Films
- Budget
- $23M
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Bad Santa About?
The premise of Bad Santa without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
During Christmas, Willie Soke, a cynical and foul-mouthed con artist, and his young partner Marcus plan a daring heist at a Chicago department store. Their scheme is complicated by the arrival of Thurman Merman, a well-meaning but clumsy employee, and Willie's eccentric mother, Sunny. As the gang prepares for their criminal escapade, unexpected connections and a touch of humanity begin to surface amidst the chaos and dark humor.
Bad Santa Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- christmas
- christmas eve
- profanity
- swearing
- bad behavior
- reference to santa claus
- drunken santa
- bully
- two word title
- cigarette smoking
- stripper
- strip club
+38 more Show fewer
- stripper pole
- nudity
- sauna
- blonde
- ex convict
- old woman
- alarm clock
- raised middle finger
- star died before release
- tantrum
- f word
- robbery
- pointing a gun at someone
- strong language
- sex in the front seat of a car
- christmas season
- sex scene
- santa claus costume
- career criminal
- sex in a store
- radio alarm clock
- department store manager
- prison
- scam
- snoring
- girl
- hot tub
- sex in a hot tub
- female nudity
- drunkenness
- female bartender
- casual sex
- sexual humor
- prostitute
- anal sex
- exotic dancer
- sex in a car
- rough sex
Bad Santa Cast
Billy Bob Thornton leads the cast, with John Ritter and Bernie Mac. Directed by Terry Zwigoff; 4 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Terry Zwigoff
More from Terry Zwigoff
More films directed by Terry Zwigoff, best-rated first: Crumb, Ghost World, Art School Confidential and Budding Prospects.
Bad Santa Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Bad Santa 23% on Rotten Tomatoes and 70 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.0/10.
-
IMDb 7.0 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 23% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 34%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 70 Metascore
User score 7.1
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 65% User score
See on TMDB
Bad Santa Plot Summary
What happens in Bad Santa from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Willie Soke and Marcus are seasoned criminals who masquerade as Santa Claus every holiday season at various shopping malls, using this disguise as a cover to disable security systems, rob the safes, and make a quick getaway on Christmas Eve. This year, they find themselves at a mall in Phoenix, Arizona where, unfortunately for Marcus, Willie’s alcoholism and sex addiction are making him increasingly unreliable in his role. Once at the mall, Willie’s harsh comments draw the ire of the uptight mall manager, Bob Chipeska, who escalates the issue to security chief Gin Slagel.
Full summary
The whole story of Bad Santa, scene by scene
Bad Santa Box Office & Budget
Bad Santa grossed $76.5 million worldwide on a $23 million budget, 3.3 times what it cost. $60.1 million came from the US and Canada and $16.4 million (21%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$76.5M
3.3× its budget
- US & Canada
- $60.1M
- International
- $16.4M
- Budget
- $23M
Bad Santa Awards & Nominations
Bad Santa earned 1 award nomination, including Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Actor) at the Golden Globes 2004.
1 nomination1 ceremony
-
Golden Globes 2004 1 nomination- Nominated Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Actor) – Billy Bob Thornton
Bad Santa Trailers & Videos
11 videos: 1 trailer, 9 clips and 1 featurette.
- Clip Willie the Grinch
- Clip Clean & Sober
- Clip Bullies
- Clip F*** Me Santa
How Well Do You Know Bad Santa?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What role do Willie Soke and Marcus play at the shopping malls?
Cars in Bad Santa
37 cars on screen, including the 1995 BMW 740iL E38 and the 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche.
-
1995 BMW 740iL E38 Main role -
2002 Chevrolet Avalanche Important role -
1969 Chevrolet Impala Important role -
1979 Dodge Dodge Van Important role
Bad Santa Also Known As
32 alternative titles, including “Badder Santa” and “Bad Santa 1”.
- Also known as
-
- Badder Santa
- Bad Santa 1
- Plohoj.Santa
- Bad Santa (Director's Cut)
- Babbo bastardo
- Tapló Télapó
- Плохой Санта
- Bad Santa - O Anti-Pai Natal
- 圣诞坏公公
- Zły Mikołaj
- Ο Αϊ Βασίλης Είναι... Λέρα
- Santa je úchyl!
+20 more Show fewer
- סנטה בשקל
- Поганий Санта
- Yeni Yıl Soygunu
- Papai Noel às Avessas
- Moșul cel rău
- Méchant Père Noël
- 聖誕壞公公
- Paha pukki
- Лошият Дядо Коледа
- Vastik Vana
- Zločesti Djed Mraz
- Un santa no tan santo
- Nevaljali Deda Mraz
- Pokvarjeni Božiček
- 나쁜 산타
- Blogasis Santa
- Ļaunais Santaklauss
- Дрэнны Санта
- Ông Già Noel Xấu Tính
- バッドサンタ
Seen Bad Santa?
Movies Like Bad Santa
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Bad Santa 2, One Hell of a Christmas and Santa Claus Is a Stinker.
Bad Santa FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Bad Santa, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Bad Santa?
Bad Santa runs 1 hour 31 minutes (91 minutes).
When was Bad Santa released?
Bad Santa was released on November 26, 2003.
Who directed Bad Santa?
Bad Santa was directed by Terry Zwigoff.
More films by Terry Zwigoff Who is in the cast of Bad Santa?
Bad Santa stars Billy Bob Thornton, John Ritter and Bernie Mac, among 4 credited actors.
How much did Bad Santa make at the box office?
Bad Santa grossed $76.5 million worldwide ($60.1 million domestic, $16.4 million international) on a budget of $23 million.
How is Bad Santa rated?
Bad Santa has 7.0/10 on IMDb, 23% on Rotten Tomatoes, 70 on Metacritic and 65% on TMDB.
Was Bad Santa nominated for any awards?
Bad Santa received 1 nomination across 1 ceremony.
Does Bad Santa have a post-credit scene?
No. Bad Santa has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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