Everyone has a favorite Christmas movie. A movie that you just have to see every year. One that you could watch over and over again. However, Florida's favorite Christmas movies might surprise you. Most of them are considered to be outliers. Spoiler alert, "Home Alone," that Macaulay Culkin classic does not appear in the top ten for Floridians. Even more disturbing is the fact that a horror movie was among the most popular holiday movie in Tennessee and Michigan. It's called "Violent Night."
I don't know about you, but I see enough near violence in shopping center parking lots this time of year. Not interested in watching tinsel slashings on the television. For me, I really look forward to some of the classic cartoons like "Frosty The Snowman," "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," and "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer." They are nostalgic and remind me of childhood. I do love the current version of The Grinch with Jim Carey as well as "Elf" with Will Ferrell.
Back to the rankings. They come from Looper. Their experts found a 300% increase in Google searches for ‘best Christmas movies’ in the past month. In addition, there has been a 130% increase in demand for ‘best Christmas movies streaming.’ So first, they looked into IMBb’s list of best Christmas movies of all time. Next, they analyzed Google search trends data. Finally, they took all the data and compiled a list of the most searched-for holiday movie in every U.S. state.
Here is another spoiler alert. None were the sappy Hallmark Christmas movies. There were a couple of surprises for me. Here is one. The Rankin-Bass stop-motion class "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" did not rank in Florida. However, it dominates searches in the Midwest. You can find the entire report here.
Florida's favorite Christmas movies might surprise you. Here are the top five.
#5 Miracle on 34th Street
This film actually won three Academy Awards. It's another one to reel in the cynics. In it, a man named Kris Kringle fills in for the Macy's Santa Claus who shows up drunk for the Thanksgiving Day parade. He claims to be the real Santa and ends up in court defending both his mental health and his claims. Of course there are a few glimmers of miracles that continue to occur.
#4 Christmas with the Kranks
This one stars Tim Allen as Luther Krank and Jamie Lee Curtis as Nora Krank. They canceled Christmas because their daughter would not be there and opt for a Caribbean Cruise. The decision angers their nosy neighbors and there are lots of and decoration-related shenanigans. At the last minute the daughter decides to not only come home, but also bring her new fiancé. When the movie debuted it earned a 5% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Now it is one of the most popular Christmas movies nationwide.
#3 How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" is a classic animated film. It is based on a Dr. Seuss book written in 1957. The movie debuted on CBS in 1966. Jim Carrey made it into a film as well, but it is the cartoon that reigns supreme. In fact, the original ranked second place nationwide as favorite Christmas flick.
#2 Four Christmases
If you have extended family you can probably relate to this film. It stars Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. They want to go on vacation for Christmas but weather cancels their plans and they are stuck visiting dysfunctional family members. It causes all kinds of relationship problems but it all turns out OK in the end. Based in San Francisco it is a popular movie in California as well as Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
#1 Scrooged
This one is based on the Charles Dickens novel, A Christmas Carol. This is a modern version with Bill Murray playing a cynical and selfish television executive. He is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. They take him on a journey that renews his Christmas spirit. It was filmed in both New York City and Hollywood.
