Filmed on-location in London. In order to avoid crowds interrupting filming, many scenes started filming around 2 a.m.
Director Paul Feig was originally not interested in doing another Christmas comedy, after his previous entry, Unaccompanied Minors (2006), was a critical and commercial failure. However, after reading the script, personally sent to him by Dame Emma Thompson, he was convinced.
Wham! donated all of the royalties of the original song, Wham!: Last Christmas (1984), to Ethiopian famine relief.