Films remain a big part of the countdown to Christmas, with a new Christmas film being made every year. Although timeless classics and holiday shorts go on gracing screens every December, the heated debate rages on: what is the best Christmas film?
New research conducted by Funky Pigeon brings the debate about the ultimate Christmas film to a conclusive end, as the leading online gift and greeting card company reveals the best festive films of all time.
Top 10 Non-Christmassy Christmas FilmsCross-referencing various data points - including rankings, ratings and worldwide box office figures, over the past four decades - Funky Pigeon can definitively say Die Hard IS a Christmas film. Ranked as a keen favourite among men of all ages (after Home Alone), the film tops the list of Non-Christmassy Christmas films. Marvel's Iron Man 3 places in fourth, while 80s film Gremlins comes in 7th.
Jumanji (1995) narrowly misses out on the top 10, but with a short Christmas scene at the end, the 90s film starring Robin Williams would come in 11th place.
Best Christmas AnimationSuitable for the whole family, Christmas animations are a staple watch in most households. However, there aren't as many to choose from. Despite Frozen songs being played in supermarkets every year, according to Funky Pigeon's research, it is not actually a Christmas film.
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, which also doubles up as a Halloween film, is crowned number one ahead of more 'traditional' Christmas films - such as Arthur Christmas and the newest film on the list, Dr Seuess' The Grinch.
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- Arthur Christmas (2011)
- The Polar Express (2004)
- Dr Seuess' The Grinch (2018)
- A Christmas Carol (2009)
While most films about Christmas or with Christmas references are perfect for the whole of December, there are only a handful that people talk about most on Christmas Day.
In order of social popularity, data from Funky Pigeon, from 2019, has found A Christmas Story (1983) was the most spoken about film on December 25th across social media - mentioned 56.9k times on Christmas Day.
Bad Santa from the early 00s makes the list in 5th place, mentioned 7.6k times while family classics such as Scrooged and How The Grinch Stole Christmas come in 8th and 10th respectively, with both under 2k mentions.
Simon Osborne, Marketing Manager said: "Christmas is a huge holiday for us at Funky Pigeon and to many people in the UK in general. But, with so much going on this year, it's more important than ever to be able to relax and make it as perfect as possible. Even if you can't meet up with family and friends, with some streaming platforms offering the ability to do group watching, you can still (almost) get together for a cosy festive night in, watching Christmas films. However, with so much choice, it may not be easy to come to a decision. Hopefully, our new research can help families and friends avoid arguments this year."The full methodology and more Christmas rankings can be found on the Funky Pigeon blog here.
