IIf you ever asked to guess what the most popular holiday movies are, we can assure you, according to PlayStar, which did a deep dive into US audiences’ data to discover what the best Christmas movies are in the US.
My two thoughts, the 1946 holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” with Donna Reed and James Stewart who plays George Bailey, a beleagured businessman who realizes, with the help of an angel and “Christmas in Connecticut” where Barbara Stanwyck plays a columnist who writes “Diary of a Housewife” though she’s neither a wife or much of a housekeeper or cook. She has to pretend to be one when a rescued WWII sailor played by handsome Dennie Morgan, comes to stay at her “home” in Connecticut where gasp, she’s expected to cook a turkey. You can guess how this turns out. But it didn’t make PlayStar’s list except for those living in Connecticut–go figure. And “It’s a Wonderful Life” also is a fav. But the real winner is “Die Hard” with Bruce Willis. Read on for more information.
So what did?
PlayStar has taken the top 100 Christmas movies of all time to verify which is truly the best.
Key findings:
- ‘Die Hard’ is officially the favorite holiday film in the U.S. (more about this below)
- Indiana is the most ‘christmassy’ state in the U.S.
- Tom Hanks in The Polar Express is America’s favorite Santa
You can view the full findings here: https://www.playstar.com/explore/most-popular-christmas-movies-us-2022/
Favorite festive movie per state
Brilliantly, the data tends to reflect a love of seeing one’s own state in a wintery wonderland (whatever that means to you). Perhaps you recognize the street where the main characters are walking down in the snow, or you could imagine yourself being trapped in your parents’ house as a kid because you’ve driven through the neighborhood the movie’s set in.
Some examples of patriotic states and their top movies include:
- Washington – Sleepless in Seattle
- Illinois – Home Alone (set in Chicago)
- Connecticut – Christmas in Connecticut
- Missouri – Meet Me in St. Louis
- Minnesota – Jingle All the Way (filmed in the Twin Cities area).
Most popular holiday movies across the US
1988’s Die Hard was also the favorite across the US! Eight states named the franchise’s debut as their all-time Christmas movie. Others argue whether it should be classed as a festive movie at all, but if eight whole states think so, we’re happy to let that slide.
Other popular movies were Home Alone and Edward Scissorhands, which won the votes of four states each. Elf and Christmas with the Kranks were next on the list.
There were quite a few individual favorites by different states, such as Scrooged, Nightmare before Christmas, Meet Me in St. Louis, and It’s a Wonderful Life! If anything, this shows how many great movies are out there to love at Christmas time.
Which is the most popular festive film in the US?
While the debate as to whether ‘Die Hard’ is actually a holiday movie is still ongoing, the data reveals that it is officially the favorite in the US. Eight states including Florida, Maryland, and Virginia crowned it as their favorite, taking the 1988 title to the top of the list.
‘Home Alone’ and ‘Edward Scissorhands’ were also popular, each being crowned favorite in four states, including Texas and New York.
Which states have the best and worst tastes?
Missouri, Rhode Island and New Mexico are the states with the best taste according to the data, choosing the three most critically acclaimed movies for their top spots, including ‘Meet Me In St.Louis’ (IMDB rating 7.5) and ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ (IMDB rating 7.9).
However, Alabama, Kentucky and South Carolina had the worst taste out of the states, choosing the worst rated film as their festive favorite, ‘Christmas With The Kranks’ (IMDB rating 5.4).
Meanwhile, states such as Washington and Connecticut all favored holiday classics based in their area, running the patriotic nature of the country right through to the holiday season. This included classics such as Sleepless in Seattle and Christmas In Connecticut.
Tom Hanks in The Polar Express is America’s favorite Santa!
Tom Hanks tops the list for best movie Santa, his portrayal of Santa in ‘The Polar Express’ earned him the coveted first place with an impressive overall score of 79 out of 100.
Coming in second is Tim Allen, renowned for his role as Scott Calvin in the original 1994 version of ‘The Santa Clause’.
David Harbour and Billy Bob Thornton shared the third position for the best Santa’s with an overall score of 50 for their respective roles in ‘Violent Night’ and ‘Bad Santa.’
Netflix has plenty of other festive movies to keep you entertained this season, with releases like Christmas in Wonderland, Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, The Noel Diary, and Christmas With You all in the top ten for online searches this past month. And with 35 new releases this year alone it is by far the most prolific platform. Theaters (7) and other channels like the once “king of Christmas”: Hallmark (5) simply cannot keep up. Interestingly Disney + will have only one new release. Quality over quantity perhaps?
Now that we’ve given you the low-down on festive movies to delve into this winter, we wanted to find out which of you will be most likely to get into the Christmas spirit.
We used Google trends to identify which states were feeling most ‘Christmassy’.
Ranking at the top was Indiana, which is not too surprising since they have a town named Santa Claus which hosts Christmas-themed attractions year-round! Citizens of Indiana must constantly be feeling ready for Christmas. Next on the list were Ohio, Kentucky, and Utah. Each has their mixture of traditions, from streets (and zoos) of Christmas lights to Christmas tree forests and Dickens Christmas Festivals. It’s no wonder these states feel so festive when there are so many fun Christmas activities to get stuck into!
Methodology
PlayStar collected data about the US’s top 100 Christmas movies from Google trends. The rankings are based on the level of interest in each film per state. The viewer and critic ratings were sourced from IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.
Still photos courtesy of Amazon.
Perhaps your state doesn’t have its own Christmas movie, but you may subconsciously favor one that’s in the same region!
For example, Vermont were also big fans of Jingle All the Way, and quite a few Southern states loved Edward Scissorhands. Perhaps something about the separate northern or southern climates evokes similar Christmassy feelings to those of your hometown.
On the other hand, some states had unrelated favorites. New Jersey and Pennsylvania were lovers of Jack Frost, while Florida was very into Die Hard.
What better way to get into the holiday spirit than to get snuggled up on the couch with a good movie? Whether you’re into the festive classics or the more obscure titles, there is more than enough choice out there to find out what you’re pining for this season.
New research by PlayStar has discovered the US’ official favorite festive film, including which new release the nation is the most excited for, and which state is the most festive over the holiday season.
Which is the most popular festive film in the US?
While the debate as to whether ‘Die Hard’ is actually a holiday movie is still ongoing, the data reveals that it is officially the favorite in the US. Eight states including Florida, Maryland, and Virginia crowned it as their favorite, taking the 1988 title to the top of the list.
‘Home Alone’ and ‘Edward Scissorhands’ were also popular, each being crowned favorite in four states, including Texas and New York.
Which states have the best and worst tastes?
Missouri, Rhode Island and New Mexico are the states with the best taste according to the data, choosing the three most critically acclaimed movies for their top spots, including ‘Meet Me In St.Louis’ (IMDB rating 7.5) and ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ (IMDB rating 7.9).
However, Alabama, Kentucky and South Carolina had the worst taste out of the states, choosing the worst rated film as their festive favorite, ‘Christmas With The Kranks’ (IMDB rating 5.4).
Meanwhile, states such as Washington and Connecticut all favored holiday classics based in their area, running the patriotic nature of the country right through to the holiday season. This included classics such as Sleepless in Seattle and Christmas In Connecticut.
Tom Hanks in The Polar Express is America’s favorite Santa!
Tom Hanks tops the list for best movie Santa, his portrayal of Santa in ‘The Polar Express’ earned him the coveted first place with an impressive overall score of 79 out of 100.
Coming in second is Tim Allen, renowned for his role as Scott Calvin in the original 1994 version of ‘The Santa Clause’.
David Harbour and Billy Bob Thornton shared the third position for the best Santa’s with an overall score of 50 for their respective roles in ‘Violent Night’ and ‘Bad Santa.’
The results showcase the rankings of various beloved Santas against audience and critic metrics including ‘IMDB rating’, ‘Google Trends’, ‘Box Office Revenue’, ‘Audience Review’, ‘Net Worth Santas’, providing a nostalgic and heartwarming look at the holiday classics.
The research also found that Indiana, known for its basketball and southern sensibilities, is also the most ‘Christmassy’ state in the US according to the data.
Ohio, Kentucky and Utah followed closely behind the state, as a result of their festive nature and mix of Christmas traditions.
