With December 25 fast approaching, a new poll by Talker Research for Newsweek has revealed America’s most popular Christmas movies.
The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted between December 2-6 saw respondents asked: “In your opinion, what are the best Christmas movies?”
Home Alone ranked highest in the poll, with 30 percent of respondents naming the Macaulay Culkin classic in their answer.
That put it just ahead of the 1966 animated TV adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which was named by 29 percent of those answering the survey, while another cartoon, A Charlie Brown Christmas came in third at 23 percent.
The top five was rounded off by familiar favorites A Christmas Story (21 percent) and It’s A Wonderful Life (18 percent).
The original version of Miracle on 34th Street (17 percent) narrowly missed out on a place in the top five, instead ending up tied with Elf and The Polar Express in sixth.
Though some fans continue to debate its validity as a Christmas movie, Die Hard is seen as a festive favorite, with 10 percent of those polled naming it among the best.
The results echo those from a 2022 poll conducted by YouGov which saw Home Alone come out on top and appear to further emphasize a shift in Christmas viewing.
Back in 2018, an Axios poll of 6,075 U.S. adults and 802 teens saw It’s A Wonderful Life top the leaderboard just ahead of A Christmas Story.
Adam Paul, an assistant professor in screen acting at University of Nevada, Las Vegas isn’t entirely surprised to see Home Alone assume the mantle of America’s most popular Christmas movie.
Paul told Newsweek part of the appeal is grounded in the fact Culkin defined “adorable imp” for a generation. But it’s bigger than that.
As Paul explains, Home Alone‘s enduring popularity stems from the fact it is a “four quadrant movie” meaning it appeals to the four key demographics of the average moviegoing audience: males, females and people both over and under the age of 25.
“It cartoonishly represents tense holiday family dynamics in a way that isn’t too traumatizing while still being recognizable,” Paul said. “It’s aspirational on many levels, not the least of which is the American Christmas Dream of a house, first-class holiday family trip and trappings of wealth that surround the McCallisters and their extended family.”
He added: “Young Kevin McCallister spends the first act enjoying the freedom of a house all to himself, which plenty of children down the sibling chain have dreamt of. At nearly 35 years old, the film now hits the nostalgia button for most Gen x-ers who watch with their kids. Finally, it squeezes in the satisfaction of a revenge thriller with some of the best physical comedy moments in late 20th century cinema.”
What Paul considers Home Alone‘s “finest quality” as a Christmas film and something that differentiates itself from the likes of It’s A Wonderful Life is that there is no “Christmas magic” to it.
“Instead, the simple resolution of a family restored reminds us that togetherness doesn’t always have to equate with chaotic and exhausting madness,” he said.
This random double-opt-in survey of 1,000 general population Americans was commissioned by Newsweek between December 2 and December 6, 2024. It was conducted by market research company Talker Research whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
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