HOME ALONE, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE Among Most-Watched 2023 Christmas Movies
By Movieguide® Contributor
New Christmas movies like CANDY CANE LANE joined holiday classics like ELF, HOME ALONE and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE among the top 15 most-watched Christmas movies of 2023.
Movieguide® celebrated CANDY CANE LANE’s pro-family and pro-marriage themes, as well as its declaration that “Jesus is the reason for the season.”
The movie follows “A man…determined to win the neighborhood’s annual Christmas decorating contest. He makes a pact with an elf to help him win–and the elf casts a spell that brings the 12 days of Christmas to life, which brings unexpected chaos to town.”
“[There is] love, family and a message that’s at the center of it, which we have in this movie, that the family comes together to conquer a rogue elf, so to speak,” Tracee Ellis Ross, who plays the mother, Carol Carver, said. “I think the thing that’s special about this movie is it’s an adventure comedy Christmas movie. It’s a special story that has all these elements, and we hope that it becomes a holiday classic.”
Like CANDY CANE LANE, HOME ALONE also places a strong focus on family.
Movieguide® wrote, “HOME ALONE has a strong message of reconciliation and portrays a fairly close-knit family. Furthermore, Kevin appears to be in the habit of attending church. Best of all, Kevin learns from his experience. He learns not to be afraid and to be thankful for his family.”
Movieguide® calls IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE “arguably the most beloved movie of all time.”
“It’s certainly the most uplifting, rewarding and redemptive movie,” the review reads. “It’s also funny, emotionally powerful, psychologically enriching, and beautifully made. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE is a pro-life masterpiece by Director Frank Capra, with brilliant performances by Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and a cast of terrific character actors. Slight caution is advised for some false angelology, but the movie honors God in a whimsical, profound, powerful way.”
ELF, the top Christmas movie this year, is a “cute, funny Christmas comedy [that] has, regrettably, no mention of the Christ of Christmas.”
“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,” USA Today reported.
“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,” the source added.
Check out all 15 of the top Christmas movies this year:
- 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.
Movieguide® previously reported on IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE:
Jimmy Stewart’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE almost didn’t become the Christmas staple it is today.
When the film premiered in 1947, it barely broke even at the box office and was quickly forgotten.
However, in 1974, after Republic Pictures failed to renew its copyright, the movie resurfaced and went into the public domain. Cinema Blend reported, “The movie was truly everywhere, and because distributors could virtually air it for free, it moved from a forgotten film to a staple of the Christmastime conversation.”
Since then, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE has become a Christmas tradition and is considered one of the greatest holiday films ever.
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