Samuel Goldwyn Films Acquires 'Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint' for North American Theatrical Release This Christmas
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights to Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint, with a theatrical release set for the United States and Canada this Christmas, Variety reported on 10 August 2026.
The deal brings a sizeable British ensemble comedy into the North American holiday corridor — the stretch between late November and 25 December when studios and independents alike slot their most crowd-pleasing titles. Samuel Goldwyn Films, a long-standing independent distributor, picked up the rights from London-based sales and production company WestEnd Films. WestEnd's managing director Maya Amsellem negotiated on behalf of the film-makers; Miles Fineburg, vice president of acquisitions and sales at Samuel Goldwyn, handled the buyer's side.
Directed by Jack Spring, whose previous credits include All Town Aren't We and Three Day Millionaire, the film was written by Chris Boyle-McQuarry (Little Lady). It follows Aubrey Flint, a reclusive painter of model soldiers who loathes Christmas and finds himself sentenced to community service at a struggling retirement home. There, he is pressed into directing a resident-led stage production of A Christmas Carol with what is described as a Dickensian twist.
The cast runs deep. John Bradley, Celia Imrie, Richard E. Grant, Adjoa Andoh and Jim Broadbent lead the ensemble, with Sophia Di Martino, Adrian Rawlins, Karl Pilkington, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Nigel Planer, Ann Mitchell, Dave Johns, Dustin Demri-Burns, Harriet Webb and Beau Thompson filling out the ranks. Andy Brunskill produced for SUMS Film & Media alongside Spring's Shush Films, in association with BYUtv. Damian Jones and Paul Grindey of Viewfinder are among the executive producers.
The North American sale is the latest in a chain of territorial deals WestEnd has assembled for the title. Signature Entertainment took U.K. and Ireland rights during the Cannes film market earlier this year, with a holiday-season theatrical release planned. WestEnd has also closed sales to Spain (Alfa), Portugal (NOS), Bulgaria (Beta) and Israel (United King). The company will continue international sales at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, where buyers from unsold territories will get their chance.
Fineburg said the studio is "thrilled" to bring the film to audiences this fall. Amsellem called it a picture with "all the ingredients of an enduring festive favourite" and noted WestEnd's pleasure at reuniting with Samuel Goldwyn.
A Christmas-themed comedy with this cast and a theatrical footprint across multiple territories is a straightforward bet on the holiday audience. The independent distributors behind it — Samuel Goldwyn in North America, Signature in the U.K. and Ireland — are betting that a familiar ensemble and a well-loved story shape can fill cinemas in the most competitive weeks of the calendar. Whether that bet pays off will be settled at the box office in December.
