# A Bad Moms Christmas
*A Bad Moms Christmas* is a 2017 American Christmas comedy film and the sequel to the 2016 comedy *Bad Moms*, reuniting [Mila Kunis](https://www.edgepedia.org/mila-kunis), Kristen Bell, and [Kathryn Hahn](https://www.edgepedia.org/kathryn-hahn) as three overburdened mothers who must host their own mothers for the holidays.[1](https://www.starz.com/us/en/movies/a-bad-moms-christmas-74837) It was written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, produced by Suzanne Todd for STX Entertainment, and released in theaters on November 1, 2017.[2](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productionlisting/a-bad-moms-christmas-86148/) • [3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Moms)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | November 1, 2017 (theatrical); DVD and Blu-ray on February 6, 2018[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Moms) • [4](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/a-bad-moms-christmas/kTQy57xXVS55wAZwOsEvj2/where-to-watch/) |
| Directors and writers | Jon Lucas and Scott Moore[1](https://www.starz.com/us/en/movies/a-bad-moms-christmas-74837) |
| Lead cast | Mila Kunis (Amy), Kristen Bell (Kiki), Kathryn Hahn (Carla)[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6359956/fullcredits/) |
| Running time / rating | 1 hour 44 minutes; rated R in the United States[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_bad_moms_christmas) |
| Production | STX Entertainment; shot May 1 to June 9 in Atlanta[2](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productionlisting/a-bad-moms-christmas-86148/) |
| Box office | $28,000,000 production budget; $16,759,161 opening weekend; $72,110,659 domestic; $127,710,550 worldwide[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Moms) |
| Critical reception | 32% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (128 reviews); Metascore 42 on Metacritic based on 30 critic reviews[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_bad_moms_christmas) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-bad-moms-christmas/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and characters
The film follows Amy (Mila Kunis), Kiki ([Kristen Bell](https://www.edgepedia.org/kristen-bell)), and Carla (Kathryn Hahn), the three under-appreciated mothers at the center of *Bad Moms*, as they rebel against what the marketing called the [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) for moms: Christmas.[1](https://www.starz.com/us/en/movies/a-bad-moms-christmas-74837) Just as they are trying to create a perfect holiday for their families, their own mothers arrive to visit, raising the pressure.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_bad_moms_christmas)
Each mother-daughter pair gets a distinct dynamic. Amy hosts her demanding mother Ruth ([Christine Baranski](https://www.edgepedia.org/christine-baranski)) and father Hank ([Peter Gallagher](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-gallagher)); Kiki hosts her lovingly intrusive mother Sandy ([Cheryl Hines](https://www.edgepedia.org/cheryl-hines)); and Carla hosts her bon vivant mother Isis (Susan Sarandon).[8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/a-bad-moms-christmas) By the end of the story, the mothers redefine how to make the holidays special and discover a closer relationship with their own mothers.[9](https://www.hulu.com/movie/a-bad-moms-christmas-2dd951b6-4e10-4202-b803-576b0cfc76cf) The supporting cast also includes Jay Hernandez, Justin Hartley, Wanda Sykes, Christina Applegate, and Ariana Greenblatt.[1](https://www.starz.com/us/en/movies/a-bad-moms-christmas-74837)
### Content and audience
*A Bad Moms Christmas* carries the raunch of the original. Common Sense Media notes it has similar levels of drinking, drug use, and strong language as *Bad Moms*, and reviews from families on that site place the film at roughly ages 15 to 17 and up.[8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/a-bad-moms-christmas) Plugged In's review counted about 40 f-words in the film, four of them paired with the names Jesus or God, and described the movie as at times sweet, often silly, but almost constantly salacious.[16](https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/a-bad-moms-christmas/) In the United Kingdom the film is rated 15.[17](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/a-bad-moms-christmas)
## Production
The sequel came together quickly. After *Bad Moms* opened in July 2016, writer-directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the screenwriters who launched *The Hangover* franchise, began working on a screenplay in September 2016, two months after the first film hit theaters, and finished it within weeks; STX Films announced the sequel in December.[10](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-bad-moms-sequel-20171027-htmlstory.html) A trademark filing by the original film's distributor states that promotion of the sequel began on or around December 23, 2016.[11](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91296444-OPP-1.pdf) The sequel went into production in April 2017, less than a year after the first film's release, with principal photography in Atlanta from May 1 to June 9.[10](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-bad-moms-sequel-20171027-htmlstory.html) • [2](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productionlisting/a-bad-moms-christmas-86148/)
**The grandmothers.** The sequel's main addition was a generation of grandmothers, played by [Susan Sarandon](https://www.edgepedia.org/susan-sarandon), Cheryl Hines, and Christine Baranski, who arrive in town to judge their daughters' parenting over the holidays. Producer Suzanne Todd noted the risk in the casting: adding three stars over the age of 35.[10](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-bad-moms-sequel-20171027-htmlstory.html) According to IMDb, Kathryn Hahn wrote a personal letter to Susan Sarandon asking her to play her mother in the film.[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6359956/)
## Box office
The film had a production budget of $28,000,000, higher than the $20,000,000 of the original *Bad Moms*.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Moms) It opened to $16,759,161 domestically and finished with $72,110,659 in the United States and $127,710,550 worldwide, below the original's $113,257,297 domestic and $180,485,601 worldwide totals.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Moms) A trademark opposition filing described *Bad Moms* and *A Bad Moms Christmas* together as a huge moneymaker for STX and the franchise as the most consistent for the studio since the first film debuted in 2016.[13](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91240829-OPP-63.pdf)
## Critical reception
Reviews were mixed to negative. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 32% Tomatometer from 128 reviews, with a critics consensus calling it a slapdash holiday sequel that falls short of the original, featuring twice the moms but roughly half the laughs; the audience Popcornmeter stands at 43%.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_bad_moms_christmas) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 42, categorized as mixed or average, from 30 critic reviews, with a user score of 4.9.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-bad-moms-christmas/)
Some critics found compensating strengths. [Entertainment Weekly](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-weekly)'s Leah Greenblatt gave it an 83, writing that the film passes the [Bechdel test](https://www.edgepedia.org/bechdel-test) perhaps better than any other film that year and that its older generation of stars go to town on their stock roles.[14](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-bad-moms-christmas/critic-reviews/) CinemaBlend's review judged the film lacking in originality, noting that much of the plot framework was cribbed from holiday classics such as *National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation*, *Jingle All the Way*, and *A Christmas Story*, and that the three mother-daughter conflicts play like separate half-hour episodes of Christmas-themed television.[15](https://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/1719560/a-bad-moms-christmas-review)
## Availability
The film streams with subscriptions on Starz, Paramount+, and Hulu in the United States, and can be rented or bought digitally; Moviefone lists digital purchase starting at $14.99 and rental from $3.99.[4](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/a-bad-moms-christmas/kTQy57xXVS55wAZwOsEvj2/where-to-watch/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_bad_moms_christmas) A third film in the series, *Bad Moms' Moms*, is listed in The Numbers' franchise box office history without release figures.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Moms)
## References
1. [A Bad Moms Christmas, STARZ](https://www.starz.com/us/en/movies/a-bad-moms-christmas-74837)
2. [A Bad Mom's Christmas Production Listing, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productionlisting/a-bad-moms-christmas-86148/)
3. [Bad Moms Franchise Box Office History, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Moms)
4. [A Bad Moms Christmas: Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/a-bad-moms-christmas/kTQy57xXVS55wAZwOsEvj2/where-to-watch/)
5. [A Bad Moms Christmas (2017) Full Cast & Crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6359956/fullcredits/)
6. [A Bad Moms Christmas, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_bad_moms_christmas)
7. [A Bad Moms Christmas Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-bad-moms-christmas/)
8. [A Bad Moms Christmas Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/a-bad-moms-christmas)
9. [Watch A Bad Moms Christmas Streaming Online, Hulu](https://www.hulu.com/movie/a-bad-moms-christmas-2dd951b6-4e10-4202-b803-576b0cfc76cf)
10. [How 'Bad Moms' Went From Sleeper Hit to Female-Driven Franchise, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-bad-moms-sequel-20171027-htmlstory.html)
11. [Trademark Opposition No. 91296444, USPTO TTAB](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91296444-OPP-1.pdf)
12. [A Bad Moms Christmas (2017), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6359956/)
13. [Trademark Opposition No. 91240829, USPTO TTAB](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91240829-OPP-63.pdf)
14. [A Bad Moms Christmas Critic Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-bad-moms-christmas/critic-reviews/)
15. [A Bad Moms Christmas Review, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/1719560/a-bad-moms-christmas-review)
16. [A Bad Moms Christmas Review, Plugged In](https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/a-bad-moms-christmas/)
17. [A Bad Moms Christmas, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/a-bad-moms-christmas)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Teen and comedy series film entries › Entries released in the 2010s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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