HBO Max released a trailer for A Christmas Story Christmas last week, the sequel to one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time. The upcoming film portrays beloved, Red Ryder BB Gun-obsessed Ralphie as an adult and will be released on November 17. The trailer intertwines throwback lines from the original. It appears, however, that Ralphie never did shoot his eye out.
The trailer shows Ralphie rejoining his old buddies in his hometown, trying to recapture his long-gone childhood Christmas spirit. Mourning the loss of his father, Ralphie attempts to instill the magic of Christmas in his kids.
Released in 1983, A Christmas Story was panned by critics and made a paltry showing at the box office. Thanks to TNT, it became a cultural icon when the station began showing the film on a 24-hour loop in 1997.
Set in the 1970s, the long-awaited sequel features original cast members such as Peter Billingsley (Ralphie), Zack Ward (Scut Farkus, the bully with yellow eyes), and R.D. Robbs and Scott Schwartz (Ralphie’s triple-dog-daring friends).
Although there have been a few sequels to the original and even a live television version, none have achieved the honor of airing Christmas day on TBS for a full 24 hours.
One of the sequels, originally named It Runs in the Family but subsequently renamed My Summer Story, flopped horribly amid high expectations. The movie was released by PBS in 1994 and centered around an entirely re-casted Parker family during a summer fishing trip.
Another sequel released in 2012 was named A Christmas Story 2 and went straight-to-video, barely making headlines. It presently has a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of just 37%.
Perhaps, the third time will be the charm. Thankfully, the latest sequel will not take into account any of the previous sequels. Some fans have responded positively to the announcement that they would be able to see Ralphie and the gang as adults.
“I don’t care that this is trying to pander to the nostalgia of the original,” tweeted one user. “A Christmas Story is one of my favorite Christmas movies so I’m watching it anyway.”
Others have not welcomed the news.
“Guys, we really don’t need A Christmas Story sequel. It’s okay to just leave some things alone,” read another tweet.
Amid constant live-action and classic film remakes, only time will tell if this sequel will be “a major award” or leave audience members saying, “oh fudge.”
