‘Violent Night’ Decks the US Box Office With 1.1 Million in Thursday Previews

Universal’s “Violent Night” took in 1.1 million at the Thursday evening box office, kicking off what the studio projects to be a 10 million opening weekend.It played in 3,000 theaters starting at 5:00 p.m. and will expand to 3,682 theaters this weekend.The action-comedy stars David Harbour as a rough-and-tumble Santa Claus who steps in to save a family that’s been taken hostage on Christmas Eve. John Leguizamo, Cam Gigandet, Alex Hassell, Alexis Louder, Edi Patterson and Beverly D’Angelo round out the cast. Tommy Wirkola directs, from a script by “Sonic the Hedgehog” duo Pat Casey and Josh Miller. ...