Current:Home > MyThe 15 most-watched holiday movies this season. Did your favorite make the cut? -WealthMindset Learning
The 15 most-watched holiday movies this season. Did your favorite make the cut?
View
Date:2025-04-14 19:06:42
What holiday movies are sleighing the ratings? It’s a mixed Santa’s sack of the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Present, according to data shared exclusively with USA TODAY.
Samba TV, which analyzes viewership habits of households collected through smart TVs, assembled a list of the most-watched movies on TV and streaming services in the U.S. between Nov. 10 and Dec. 10. (For the study, a view means the household watched at least five minutes of a feature.)
Smiling along to “Elf” proved audiences’ favorite. So far, 9 million households have watched the 2003 feature starring Will Ferrell as whimsical Buddy the tall elf, who left the North Pole in search of his biological father. Nearly 8 million households have found 1989's “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation” as enjoyable as a one-year membership to a jelly-of-the-month club. Who doesn’t feel for Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) during his obsessive quest to provide a perfect Christmas for his extended family? And this stat might make you do Macaulay Culkin’s famed “Home Alone” face: the 33-year-old flick, in which a son forgotten by his vacationing family fights off burglars, raked in 7.1 million views.
'Santa! I know him!'How to watch 'Elf' this holiday: TV listings, streaming and more
By comparison, only three original holiday movies released on streaming platforms this year managed to snare more than 1 million households. Netflix’s “Best. Christmas. Ever!” starring Jason Biggs, Heather Graham and Brandy Norwood, attracted 2.3 million households. “The Family Switch,” Netflix's holiday-themed spin on “Freaky Friday” with Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms, garnered 1.9 million, which ties it with Amazon Prime Video’s “Candy Cane Lane,” starring Eddie Murphy.
Murphy told USA TODAY that he longed to do his first Christmas movie, and decided on “Candy Cane Lane” — a sort of “Jumanji” meets “The Santa Clause” — after contemplating remaking a classic. “’It's a Wonderful Life,’ 'Miracle on 34th Street,' we were looking through all of them," Murphy said. "But then this script came along, and it was like, ‘Hey, this has all the elements, and it's unique. So we can make our own little modern-day classic instead of remaking an old one.’”
The 15 most-watched movies between Nov. 10 and Dec. 10:
You'll notice that the largely debated "Die Hard" starring Bruce Willis makes the list. As Ashwin Navin, Samba TV's CEO, sees it: "There's no debate: 'Die Hard' is in fact a Christmas movie, and one of the greatest of all time at that," he said in a statement.
- "Elf" (2003, streaming on Max), 9 million household views
- "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989, Max), 7.9
- "Home Alone" (1990, Disney+), 7.1
- "The Santa Clause" (1994, Disney+), 4.3
- "Four Christmases" (2008, Max), 3.5
- "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000, on Peacock Dec. 20‒31), 2.5
- "Best. Christmas. Ever!" (2023, Netflix Original), 2.3
- "The Holiday" (2006, for rent on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV), 2.3
- "Family Switch" (2023, Netflix Original), 1.9
- "A Christmas Story" (1983, Max), 1.9
- "Candy Cane Lane" (2023, Amazon Original), 1.9
- "It's a Wonderful Life" (1947, Amazon Prime), 1.7
- "Die Hard" (1988, Disney+), 1.4
- "Love Actually" (2003, Netflix), 1.4
- "The Polar Express" (2004, Max), 1.1
Chevy Chase fallsoff stage in New York at 'Christmas Vacation' movie screening
The casting director for 'Elf'would pick this other 'SNL' alum to star in a remake
veryGood! (6)
Related
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Ohio mom charged with murder after allegedly going on vacation, leaving baby home alone for 10 days
- Kim Kardashian Teases Potential New Romance With Fred in Kardashians Teaser
- Ohio mom charged with murder after allegedly going on vacation, leaving baby home alone for 10 days
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Chrishell Stause, Chris Olsen and More Stars Share Their Advice for Those Struggling to Come Out
- The Bachelorette's Andi Dorfman Marries Blaine Hart in Italy
- Ryan Gosling Reflects on Moment Eva Mendes Told Him She Was Pregnant With Their First Child
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- McCarthy says I don't know if Trump is strongest GOP candidate in 2024
Ranking
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- U.S. Renewable Energy Jobs Employ 800,000+ People and Rising: in Charts
- The Heart Wants This Candid Mental Health Convo Between Selena Gomez and Nicola Peltz Beckham
- Offset and His 3 Sons Own the Red Carpet In Coordinating Looks
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Kendall Jenner Sizzles in Little Black Dress With Floral Pasties
- Senate investigation argues FBI, DHS officials downplayed or failed to properly share warnings of violence on Jan. 6
- Rent is falling across the U.S. for the first time since 2020
Recommendation
The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
Costco starts cracking down on membership sharing
That ’70s Show Alum Danny Masterson Found Guilty of Rape
Launched to great fanfare a few years ago, Lordstown Motors is already bankrupt
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
15 Fun & Thoughtful High School Graduation Gift Ideas for the Class of 2023
Indonesia Deporting 2 More Climate Activists, 2 Reporters
What is watermelon snow? Phenomenon turns snow in Utah pink