Alan Ritchson & Arnold Schwarzenegger Team Up for Wild Holiday Heist Movie — First Look & Release Date Revealed
Prime Video has officially revealed the release date and first look for The Man with the Bag, the new holiday action comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Alan Ritchson.
According to Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, the movie will premiere globally on December 2. The announcement was made during the company’s upfront presentation in New York, where the first images from the film were also shown for the first time.
The movie puts a different spin on Christmas stories by turning Santa Claus into the center of a wild heist adventure. Schwarzenegger plays Santa, who suddenly finds himself in trouble after someone steals his magical bag of presents. To get it back, he reaches out to a thief named Vance, played by Ritchson, who happens to be on Santa’s naughty list.
The story follows Santa, Vance, Vance’s daughter, and a strange group of misfits as they work together on a dangerous mission to save Christmas before it is too late.
The film is directed by Adam Shankman, who previously directed Hairspray and Disenchanted. The screenplay was written by Allan Rice.
The cast also includes Awkwafina, Liza Koshy, Kyle Mooney, Jane Krakowski, and Ken Jeong. Michael Cyril Creighton and Berkeley James are also part of the ensemble.
Production for the movie took place in Manhattan during late 2024. Schwarzenegger and Ritchson were spotted filming scenes in New York City during December, while more cast members joined the project in early 2025.
The film has a runtime of 111 minutes and carries a PG rating. It also marks Schwarzenegger’s return to holiday comedies, a genre many fans still connect with his past family-friendly movies. For Ritchson, the project continues his growing run with Prime Video following the success of Reacher.
With a mix of Christmas chaos, action, comedy, and a surprising team-up between Santa Claus and a criminal, The Man with the Bag is already shaping up to be one of Prime Video’s biggest holiday releases of 2026.
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