lawnmower electric [Christmas] light thing"; an unidentified woman (played by Jillian Murray) discovering a woman floating beneath a frozen lake; Michelle Trachtenberg aiming a shotgun and saying "Merry Christmas, motherfucker" into the camera; and additional shots of Trachtenberg in a hallway holding a shotgun while Billy levitates above her on the ceiling. This footage, which was never incorporated into the film, did appear in the official theatrical trailer as well as television spots. Release Black Christmas had its premiere in Los Angeles on December 19, 2006. The Weinstein Company (parent of the film's production company and co-distributor, Dimension Films) chose to give the film in a wide theatrical release on Christmas Day 2006. Distributor Dimension Films had reportedly chosen to release the film on Christmas Day based upon the box office success of Wolf Creek, released in the United States by Dimension on Christmas 2005. The film was released earlier in the United Kingdom, however, premiering on December 15. In the United States, the film was not screened for critics. Release date controversy The film drew backlash from Christian groups because of the studio's decision to release the film on Christmas Day. Several groups, including Liberty Counsel and Operation "Just Say Merry Christmas", called the film "offensive", "ill-founded", and "insensitive". L.A. Weekly columnist Nikki Finke also questioned the filmmakers' decision to release the film on Christmas, writing for Deadline: "And the entertainment industry wonders why it continues to have a huge PR problem as promoters of garbage? Showbiz marketing calls this counter-programming. Still, I don't understand: just how many disturbed human beings does The Weinstein Company and MGM think actually want to go see a gory movie on December 25th?" Dimension Films defended the timing in a press statement: "There is a long tradition of releasing horror movies during the holiday season as counter-programing to the more regular yuletide fare". Film historian Michael Gurnow, of The Horror Review, countered Liberty Counsel's complaint, writing, "such crimes occur throughout the year, including [at] Christmas", and cited both a mass murder and murder–suicide that occurred on Christmas Day 2005 in Virginia. Reception Box office Black Christmas grossed a total of $16.3 million in North America and $21.5 million worldwide. The film earned $3.3 million in its opening weekend (December 22–5) showing in 1,278 theaters, and garnered an additional $4.9 million between December 29 and January 1, 2007, expanding to 1,544 theaters. The film