Many people have a favourite Christmas film they watch every year, even if they don’t want to admit it. So, which are the holiday movies people love the most, despite their bad reviews? A recent study offers insights into viewers’ top guilty pleasures.
This analysis is based on ratings from specialist sites IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, as well as annual Google searches, to reveal the movies that captivate viewers’ interest the most – in spite of negative reviews.
According to this study, John Whitesell’s “Deck the Halls”, starring Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito, ranks at the top of the list of guilty-pleasure holiday movies.
The festive comedy is about the rivalry between two families willing to do anything to prove their love for Christmas. Although the film only scores 6% on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.0 on IMDb, it is searched for over 1.62 million times a year on Google.
“Jack Frost” (1998) takes second place. This family film is searched for over 5.4 million times a year, despite its Rotten Tomatoes score of 19%. This fantastical feature tells the story of Charlie’s search for his father Jack, who is lost in a snowstorm.
In third place, “Christmas With The Kranks”, starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis, racked up 1.98 million annual searches, despite a Rotten Tomatoes score of 5%.
Raja Gosnell’s “Home Alone 3” and the Netflix release “Best. Christmas. Ever” round out the top five. Although less popular than the first two instalments, the third movie in the cult “Home Alone” franchise, released in 1997, is searched for 3.61 million times a year.
Meanwhile, the Netflix comedy starring Heather Graham, released in 2023, scores 40% on Rotten Tomatoes and gets 1.98 million annual searches.
Other notable films on the list include “Love Actually” and “The Holiday,” which, despite their mixed reviews, remain festive-season staples.
For those looking for top-rated Christmas movies, Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” takes first place with an IMDb score of 8.6.
And even if some people don’t consider it a festive film, “Die Hard”, starring Bruce Willis, is the second-highest rated Christmas movie with an IMDb score of 8.2.