The Santa Clause (film series)

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The Santa Clause
The Santa Clause trilogy.jpg
The Santa Clause Trilogy DVD boxset in the United Kingdom
Directed byJohn Pasquin (1)
Michael Lembeck (2 & 3)
Written by
Produced byRobert Newmyer
Brian Reilly
Jeffrey Silver
Starring
Music byMichael Convertino (1)
George S. Clinton (2 & 3)
Production
companies
Walt Disney Pictures
Outlaw Productions
Hollywood Pictures (1)
Boxing Cat Films (2-3)
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
1: November 11, 1994 (1994-11-11)
2: November 1, 2002
3: November 3, 2006
Running time
294+ minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$99 million
Box office$470.1 million

The Santa Clause (also known as The Santa Clause Trilogy) is a series of comedy films starring Tim Allen and consisting of The Santa Clause (1994), The Santa Clause 2 (2002), and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006).

Films[]

The Santa Clause (1994)[]

Main article: The Santa Clause

Divorced dad Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) has custody of his son Charlie (Eric Lloyd) on Christmas Eve. After he accidentally causes the death of a man in a Santa suit, they are magically transported to the North Pole, where an elf explains that Scott must take Santa's place before the next Christmas arrives. Scott thinks he's dreaming, but over the next several months he gains weight and grows an inexplicably white beard. Realizing that it wasn't a dream, Scott embraces the new, permanent role he has as Santa Claus.

The Santa Clause 2 (2002)[]

Main article: The Santa Clause 2

Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) has been in the role of Santa for the past eight years, and his loyal elves consider him the best one ever. But the world of the "Merry Old Soul" turns upside down when he's dealt a double whammy of news: Not only has his son, Charlie (Eric Lloyd), landed on this year's naughty list, but Scott discovers that he must marry by Christmas Eve, or he will stop being Santa Claus forever.

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)[]

Main article: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

Christmas cheer turns into holiday chaos when Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) (aka Santa) invites his in-laws (Ann-Margret, Alan Arkin) for a visit and must also contend with Jack Frost's (Martin Short) scheme to take over the North Pole. Scott, his family, and Head Elf Curtis (Spencer Breslin) must join forces to foil the nefarious plot.

Cast and crew[]

Principal cast[]

Character Films
The Santa Clause The Santa Clause 2 The Santa Clause 3:
The Escape Clause
1994 2002 2006
Santa Claus / Scott Calvin Tim Allen
Charlie Calvin Eric Lloyd
Neil Miller Judge Reinhold
Laura Miller Wendy Crewson
Mr. Whittle / Father Time Peter Boyle
Bernard the Elf David Krumholtz
Mrs. Claus / Carol Newman Calvin Elizabeth Mitchell
Lucy Miller Liliana Mumy
Curtis the Elf Spencer Breslin
Mother Nature Aisha Tyler
Easter Bunny Jay Thomas
Cupid Kevin Pollak
Tooth Fairy Art LaFleur
Sandman Michael Dorn
Jack Frost Martin Short
Bud Newman Alan Arkin
Sylvia Newman Ann-Margret
Note: A gray cell indicates that the character did not appear in that film.

Additional crew[]

Year Film Director(s) Producer(s) Writers Composer(s) Cinematography Editor(s)
1994 The Santa Clause John Pasquin Robert Newmyer, Brian Reilly and Jeffrey Silver Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick Michael Convertino Walt Lloyd Larry Bock
2002 The Santa Clause 2 Michael Lembeck Don Rhymer, Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, Ed Decter and John J. Strauss George S. Clinton Adam Greenberg David Finfer
2006 The Santa Clause 3:
The Escape Clause 		Ed Decter and John J. Strauss Robbie Greenberg

Reception[]

Box office performance[]

Film Release date Revenue Budget
U.S. and Canada Other territories Worldwide
The Santa Clause[1] November 11, 1994 (1994-11-11) $144,833,357 $44,966,643 $189,800,000 $22,000,000
The Santa Clause 2[2] November 1, 2002 (2002-11-01) $139,225,854 $33,600,000 $172,825,854 $65,000,000
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause[3] November 3, 2006 (2006-11-03) $84,500,122 $23,000,000 $107,500,122 $12,000,000[citation needed]
Total[4] $368,559,333 $101,566,643 $470,125,976 $99,000,000

The Santa Clause 2 on its opening weekend grossed $10 million more than its predecessor. The opening weekend was a personal best to date for Tim Allen. The Hollywood Reporter said its performance "exceeded expectations".[5] The Santa Clause's strongest market outside the United States was Germany, and The Santa Clause 2 had in Germany an opening weekend of $892,000, which was 50% larger than the opening weekend of the original film.[6]

In the United States, The Santa Clause 3 had an opening weekend of $19.5 million, which was less than the $29 million grossed by The Santa Clause 2. Box Office Mojo reported, "More often than not, second sequels in the family genre make significantly less than their predecessors."[7] After 24 days in theaters, the third film had grossed $67.1 million, which Box Office Mojo said was "lagging behind its predecessors by a wide margin".[8]

In the United Kingdom, The Santa Clause 3 had an opening weekend of $2.7 million at 350 locations, which was 40% better than the opening weekend of The Santa Clause 2.[9] In Mexico, The Santa Clause 3 had an opening weekend of $1.4 million at 380 locations, which was three times better than The Santa Clause 2's opening weekend.[10]

Critical and public response[]

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic Cinemascore
The Santa Clause 71% (56 reviews)[11] 57 (13 reviews)[12] A-[13]
The Santa Clause 2 56% (122 reviews)[14] 48 (26 reviews)[15] A[13]
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause 17% (66 reviews)[16] 32 (17 reviews)[17] B+[13]

Scott Foundas of Variety called the 1994 film was "a full-on charmer pic". Foundas said the 2002 follow-up had too many writers and executives involved during the long development process, which he said led to "systematically pulverizing most of the original's simple delights". The critic said, "The Santa Clause 2 is a movie conscious, at every waking moment, of trying to out-do its predecessor."[18] Variety's Justin Chang said The Santa Clause 3 was "a much cleaner, more streamlined ride than its overstuffed predecessor". Chang said, "Michael Lembeck directs the action with a surer touch and more consistent tone than he brought to Santa Clause 2, and effortlessly pulls off the pic's sentimental, life-affirming moments without tugging too hard."[19]

References[]

  1. ^ "The Santa Clause (1994)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  2. ^ "The Santa Clause 2". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  3. ^ "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  4. ^ "The Santa Clause Movies". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  5. ^ Fuson, Brian (November 4, 2002). "'Santa' delivers early b.o. gift". The Hollywood Reporter.
  6. ^ Groves, Don (November 26, 2002). "World might be enough for Bond franchise". Variety.
  7. ^ Gray, Brandon (November 6, 2006). "'Borat' Bombards the Top Spot". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  8. ^ Gray, Brandon (November 27, 2006). "'Happy Feet,' 'Casino Royale' Top Thanksgiving". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  9. ^ McNary, Dave (November 27, 2006). "007 goes for the global grab". Variety.
  10. ^ McNary, Dave (December 5, 2006). "Bond holds cards o'seas". Variety.
  11. ^ "The Santa Clause". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  12. ^ "The Santa Clause". Metacritic. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Cinemascore". Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  14. ^ "The Santa Clause 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  15. ^ "The Santa Clause 2". Metacritic. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  16. ^ "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  17. ^ "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause". Metacritic. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  18. ^ Foundas, Scott (November 1, 2002). "The Santa Clause 2". Variety.
  19. ^ Chang, Justin (November 3, 2006). "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause". Variety.
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