Kurt Russell Hints Netflix Is Leaving Christmas Chronicles 3 on Ice

If you like your Christmas movies with a healthy dose of Kurt Russell and some actual holiday magic (not just the ironic, cynical stuff studios crank out lately), 'The Christmas Chronicles' probably hit the spot. And if you were hoping for a third round of Russell as Santa Claus—well, don’t hold your breath.

Kurt Russell’s Santa: A Surprising Favorite

Kurt Russell’s played a lot of memorable characters—Snake Plissken, Jack Burton, Wyatt Earp, Captain Ron—but according to him, actually dressing up as Santa for Netflix was one of his all-time favorites. And let’s be honest, his take on St. Nick is about as far from mall Santa as you can get: bombastic, weirdly cool, and stubbornly old-school—and it honestly works far better than you’d expect.

‘The Christmas Chronicles’ first dropped on Netflix in 2018, directed by Chris Columbus—the guy behind 'Home Alone' and the first two Harry Potters. The movie did well enough to get a sequel in 2020, which also brought in Russell’s real-life partner Goldie Hawn to play Mrs. Claus. (Casting power couple bonus.)

The Odds of a Third Christmas Chronicle? Not Good.

You’d think this is the sort of franchise Netflix would want to milk every December. Both movies rack up views around the holidays, Russell is still up for the gig, and there’s obvious goodwill from fans. But as of now, there’s radio silence on a third installment.

It gets a little stranger when you hear how much Russell loves the role. Here’s what he had to say while promoting a 'Thing' screening in Portland (ticket sales went to Goldie Hawn's MindUp charity, by the way):

"I love that role. I loved it. I loved working with Chris Columbus. I loved what the result was. I loved both of the movies. I loved the involvement that I had in them, and I loved the character. I love playing Santa Claus because it was a big thing in my life with my family. My dad was a tremendous Santa Claus, and with real, viable reasons to believe that he was, and so I wanted to take that into that for Netflix."

So why aren’t we getting a third? Turns out, Netflix can be just as cold as Santa’s North Pole when it comes to business decisions. Russell gets it: after the first two movies basically maxed out their audience, Netflix’s famously mysterious algorithms don’t see much upside in dipping back in. His take:

"They deal with their algorithms, and I’ve always felt that it expanded their markets so fast on the first one, and the second one did pretty much the same thing. Once you’ve got what you’ve got, how much is a third one gonna garner you in terms of an expanded audience? That’s the reality for things that are done on a lot of the streaming networks."

Translation: Even if you’re freakishly good at being Santa, streaming platforms only care about moving the needle with new viewers. If a sequel doesn’t expand the pie, don’t expect them to greenlight more—especially when you’re dealing with big budgets and elaborate effects for family movies.

How Netflix Is Playing It

Instead of going all-in on more 'Christmas Chronicles' entries, Netflix seems to be banking on slightly cheaper holiday flicks—think rom-coms with some fake snow tossed around. Titles like 'Falling for Christmas', 'Hot Frosty', and 'A Merry Little Ex-Mas' have popped up in recent years. Not exactly Russell-level event movies, but definitely easier on Netflix’s wallet.

Quick Cast Breakdown

• Kurt Russell – Santa Claus (and, by his own account, a role for the ages)
• Goldie Hawn – Mrs. Claus (first appeared in the sequel)
• Directed by Chris Columbus (the family movie legend himself)

Bottom line: Russell would gladly suit up in the red suit again, but unless there’s a sudden algorithm shift at Netflix, two Christmas Chronicles might be all we get. In the meantime, if you want to see Kurt turn up the holiday cheer (and honestly outdo most cinematic Santas), both movies are still streaming.