David Harbour’s foul-mouthed, ass-kicking Santa Claus is back, and so is the city that made the original work: “Violent Night 2” returns to Winnipeg, Manitoba, the same place the 2022 original was shot, to build its fictional Silver Bell Mall and put Kristen Bell’s Mrs. Claus in the fight this time. It hits theaters December 4, 2026. Here’s where the sequel actually filmed, and why Winnipeg keeps getting cast as small-town North America.
Violent Night 2 at a Glance (TL;DR)
- Release date: December 4, 2026, in theaters
- Director: Tommy Wirkola
- Cast: David Harbour, Kristen Bell, Jared Harris, Joe Pantoliano, Maxwell Friedman, Daniela Melchior, Andrew Bachelor
- Story setting: The fictional Silver Bell Mall, implied New Jersey
- Filming location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Production dates: September 2 – mid-October 2025
Winnipeg, Standing in for an American Mall Town
Principal photography ran from September 2, 2025 into mid-October 2025 (sources differ slightly on the exact wrap date, October 15 or 17), entirely in and around Winnipeg, according to Hollywood North Buzz and The Cinemaholic. That’s not a coincidence: the first “Violent Night” was also shot in Winnipeg, back in January-March 2022, which makes this a rare case of a sequel returning to the exact same production city rather than chasing a new tax-credit deal elsewhere.
The story itself is set at the Silver Bell Mall, described in the film’s own synopsis as a struggling shopping center under threat from Jared Harris’s gangster character, in what press coverage frames as an implied New Jersey setting. None of that is real, obviously, which is exactly why Winnipeg works: it can double for almost any mid-size North American town without anyone needing to fly a crew to New Jersey for it.
Can you visit? Winnipeg itself, yes, it’s a real, easily reachable Canadian city. The specific streets used for exterior “New Jersey” doubling haven’t been named beyond the two malls below.
C.F. Polo Park
Crews filmed outside C.F. Polo Park, one of Winnipeg’s largest shopping centers, on September 26, 2025, according to CTV News Winnipeg, which photographed the crew set up outside the mall that day. This is likely at least part of the basis for the film’s Silver Bell Mall exteriors, though the report doesn’t specify which side of the building or what scene was being shot.
Can you visit? Yes. C.F. Polo Park is a real, fully operating shopping mall in Winnipeg, open to the public year-round.
Portage Place
About a month earlier, on August 26, 2025, filming moved to Portage Place, a mall in downtown Winnipeg, where CTV News Winnipeg photographed Christmas decorations already dressing the set, meaning holiday-scene interiors were likely shot here even though the movie doesn’t come out for over a year. Beyond the date and the decorated set, the report doesn’t detail street closures or which part of the mall was used.
Can you visit? Yes, Portage Place is a real downtown Winnipeg mall open to the public.
Photo: People ice skating in front of the Winnipeg sign in winter / Pexels
FAQ
Where was Violent Night 2 filmed?
In and around Winnipeg, Manitoba, between September and mid-October 2025, with confirmed filming at C.F. Polo Park and Portage Place, two real Winnipeg shopping malls.
Was the original Violent Night filmed in the same place?
Yes. The 2022 original was also shot in Winnipeg, in January through March 2022, though its own exact streets and neighborhoods were never publicly detailed either.
Is the Silver Bell Mall a real place?
No. It’s the film’s fictional setting, implied to be in New Jersey, built out of Winnipeg locations standing in for it.
When does Violent Night 2 come out?
December 4, 2026, in theaters.
