With the Christmas season in full swing, it’s the perfect time to gather with friends and families to watch something cozy and full of cheer. But finding the ideal film to embrace the Christmas spirit is no easy task. From a Hallmark Christmas movie full of predictable romance and town-saving adventures to an old classic holiday film, the options are endless.
Data from Looper shows there’s been a 300% increase in Google searches for ‘best Christmas movies’ in the past month alone and a 130% increase in demand for ‘best Christmas movies streaming.’
With this in mind, a new study by Looper looked into IMBb’s list of best Christmas movies of all time and analyzed Google search trends data to find the most searched-for holiday movie in every U.S. state in 2023 and reveal America’s favorite Christmas films – and the ones you should add to your list this festive season. So, which Christmas movies dominated Illinois household television screens throughout 2023?
Miracle on 34th Street is Illinois’s Favorite Christmas Movie
After a divorced New York mother hires a nice old man to play Santa Claus at Macy’s, she is startled by his claim to be the genuine article. When his sanity is questioned, a lawyer defends him in court by arguing that he’s not mistaken.
The story takes place between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day in New York City. It focuses on the struggle between faith and doubting cynicism and between the holiday spirit of generosity and materialistic commercialism. It was a hybrid genre film – with drama, fantasy, comedy, and courtroom elements, specifically designed to be a classic children’s/family film.
The theatrically-released, Christmas-themed film captured the spirit of the times – and became a regular pastime in addition to other traditions such as lighted trees, holly berries, and mistletoe. It became one of the “must-see” films of the Thanksgiving holiday season. While the movie was shot in New York, the Big Apple isn’t listed as one of the states where it reigns supreme. Overall, it seems to be a staple for households across Illinois and Georgia.
The Most Popular Christmas Movie in Every U.S. State
Source: Looper.
There are plenty of popular Christmas movies watched throughout the holidays across the U.S. Maine, Florida, and Rhode Island all picked outliers, with “The Polar Express,” “Scrooged,” and “Home Alone,” respectively. Surprisingly, the Macaulay Culkin-led film didn’t appear as the top movie for more states. Horror aficionados in Michigan and Tennessee let a newcomer take their top spot, anointing “Violent Night” as their favorite. The Rankin-Bass stop-motion class “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” reigns supreme in the Midwest. Want to see which Christmas movie is most popular in your state? Here’s the complete list based on Looper’s research:
| Ranking | Christmas movie | Year | Genre | IMDb rating | Number of states where it is the most popular | States where it was favored |
| 1 | Christmas with the Kranks | 2004 | Comedy, Family | 5.4 | 7 | Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Vermont, Virginia, Washington |
| 2 | How the Grinch Stole Christmas! | 1966 | Animation, Comedy, Family | 8.3 | 6 | Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, South Carolina, West Virginia |
| 3 | Four Christmases | 2008 | Comedy, Drama, Romance | 5.7 | 5 | California, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin |
| 4 | The Santa Clause | 1994 | Comedy, Drama, Family | 6.5 | 4 | Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Texas |
| 5 | A Christmas Story | 1983 | Comedy, Family | 7.9 | 3 | Hawaii, Idaho, Montana |
| 6 | Last Christmas | 2019 | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy | 6.5 | 3 | New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota |
| 7 | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer | 1964 | Animation, Adventure, Comedy | 8 | 3 | Missouri, Ohio, Oregon |
| 8 | A Christmas Carol | 1951 | Drama, Family, Fantasy | 8.1 | 2 | Kansas, Utah |
| 9 | Elf | 2003 | Adventure, Comedy, Family | 7.1 | 2 | South Dakota, Wyoming |
| 10 | Frosty the Snowman | 1969 | Animation, Short, Comedy | 7.3 | 2 | Alabama, Oklahoma |
| 11 | Jingle All the Way | 1996 | Adventure, Comedy, Family | 5.7 | 2 | Delaware, North Carolina |
| 12 | Miracle on 34th Street | 1947 | Comedy, Drama, Family | 7.9 | 2 | Georgia, Illinois |
| 13 | Violent Night | 2022 | Action, Comedy, Thriller | 6.7 | 2 | Michigan, Tennessee |
| 14 | White Christmas | 1954 | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 7.6 | 2 | Alaska, Nevada |
| 15 | Home Alone | 1990 | Comedy, Family | 7.7 | 1 | Rhode Island |
| 16 | It’s a Wonderful Life | 1946 | Drama, Family, Fantasy | 8.6 | 1 | Iowa |
| 17 | Love Actually | 2003 | Comedy, Drama, Romance | 7.6 | 1 | Nebraska |
| 18 | Scrooged | 1988 | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy | 6.9 | 1 | Florida |
| 19 | The Polar Express | 2004 | Animation, Adventure, Comedy | 6.6 | 1 | Maine |
Christmas with the Kranks was revealed as the most searched-for holiday movie in 2023
Unless it’s a staple on your holiday watchlist, the most popular Christmas movie in the U.S. might surprise you. The number one spot is the 2004 comedy “Christmas with the Kranks.” The holiday film stars Tim Allen as Luther Krank and Jamie Lee Curtis as Nora Krank. Since their daughter Blair (Julie Gonzalo) won’t be around, they cancel Christmas entirely, a choice that makes their nosy, holiday-loving neighbors furious. Of course, this results in several decoration-related shenanigans as the Kranks prepare for a Christmas-less Caribbean cruise. When Blair announces she’s coming home for Christmas with her new fiancé, the Kranks frantically scramble to set up the holiday.
The movie is set in Chicago, but Illinois isn’t listed as one of the states where it reigns supreme. But the fascinating thing about “Christmas with the Kranks” is that it transformed from a critical dud to a Christmas darling. Upon its release, it earned a 5% rating on Rotten Tomatoes — even now, the only holiday movie here that ranks lower is 2010’s “The Nutcracker in 3D.” It’s now the most popular Christmas movie in the U.S. How’s that for a glow-up?
Most loved in Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! was revealed as America’s 2nd favorite holiday movie
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” is still one of the most beloved animated Christmas films of all time. Based on the charming rhyming tale written by Dr. Seuss in 1957, Chuck Jones helmed the adaptation, and it debuted on CBS in December 1966. At this point, it’s a familiar story; irritated beyond belief by the earnest denizens of Whoville, the Grinch ransacks the town overnight and steals all the Christmas decorations and presents. When the Whoville citizens still celebrate without the seasonal trimmings … we all know what goes down. The Grinch’s heart grows three times in size, he returns the decorations, and he finally lives in harmony alongside Whoville.
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” is an undisputed Christmas classic, so it’s not a big surprise that it showed up in second place on our list.
Most loved in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, South Carolina, and West Virginia.
Four Christmases ranked as 3rd favorite holiday movie
If the idea of attending one Christmas celebration with extended family feels exhausting, imagine squeezing four into one holiday season! That’s the dilemma that the film “Four Christmases” explores, faced by Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon), a couple who, like the Kranks before them, are trying to go on vacation and ignore Christmas altogether. When their grand plan becomes ruined by inclement weather, the duo are stuck visiting their estranged families for Christmas. Not only are these celebrations predictably dysfunctional, but they also damage Kate and Brad’s relationship, making them re-evaluate their shared stance against marriage and kids. This is a Christmas movie, though — so it all ends happily, trust us.
The film is primarily set in San Francisco, so it makes sense that Californians particularly love this film. Overall, it seems like it’s a staple for households across the coasts (as well as Wisconsin). What you might not know about “Four Christmases,” though, is it has a serious holiday movie pedigree within its crew. Peter Billingsley, who you may remember played Ralphie in “A Christmas Story,” is one of the movie’s executive producers. He also briefly appears in the film as an airline employee.
Most loved in California, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
About Looper
Looper began in 2015 as the flagship brand under Static Media with a goal to provide people with “endless entertainment.” We offer in-depth coverage and up-to-the-minute news on the television and film industry, be it breaking stories on your favorite franchises, the latest information on new releases, or exclusive interviews with award-winning directors and rising stars.
Methodology
Using IMDb, we compiled a list of the top 100 best Christmas movies of all time. We then used Ahrefs to find 2023’s top 25 most-searched-for-Christmas films from the top 100 list. Using Google Trends, we looked at the search increase in the last month in every U.S. state to identify each state’s most popular holiday movie in 2023. Data is correct as of December 5, 2023, and analyzed over the preceding month and year.
