Netflix’s Top 5 All-time Most Popular Holiday Movies, And What to Watch This Season
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
“We were emotional this morning,” says “Falling for Christmas” director Janeen Damian the day following the premiere of the Netflix film, which dropped Nov. 10.
She and Lindsay Lohan, that is.
More from WWD
They were on the phone, she says, rejoicing in the critical feedback. Lohan, the film’s star, received glowing reviews for her return to the screen.
The actress, now 36, plays Sierra Belmont, a newly engaged hotel heiress who has a skiing accident, gets amnesia and ends up in the care of a “blue-collar lodge owner” (played by “Glee” actor Chord Overstreet) and his daughter days before Christmas.
It’s the classic, girl-meets-boy holiday rom-com.
And it’s one of the latest additions to Netflix’s growing film catalogue. It’s “the modern Hallmark Channel” for the younger consumer, says Neil Saunders, managing director of data analytics and consulting company GlobalData. “They’re the ones now serving up a lot of these holiday movies.”
“The holiday movie category is extremely important, especially as we get into the start of November,” Saunders says. “They’re suitable for a wide range of demographics and age groups. They have good viewing figures and pull in people from across the spectrum.”
It was in 2017 that Netflix released its first produced holiday movie, “A Christmas Prince,” then two sequels, “A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding” (2018) and “A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby” (2019).
“They’re looking to have a range of really quite solid, entertaining movies that are very, very lighthearted,” Saunders says of Netflix, which counts 221 million paid memberships in over 190 countries.
On Nov. 17, Netflix unveiled “Christmas With You,” another rom-com starring Aimee Garcia and Freddie Prinze Jr., then U.K’s “Christmas on Mistletoe Farm” nearly a week later, a family story about “love and romance, animals and friendship.” Then came “The Noel Diary,” a road movie with Justin Hartley and Barrett Doss, directed by Charles Shyer (“Father of the Bride”). Next, there’s Brazilian comedy “Christmas Full of Grace” (“Um Natal Cheio De Graça”), followed by “Scrooge: A Christmas Carol,” an animation produced by Timeless Films, with Axis Studios, brought to life by Luke Evans, Olivia Colman and Jesse Buckley, out Dec. 2.
“Over the past five years, we’ve built a sizable library of Netflix holiday content and a proven dedicated audience who have made our films part of their holiday traditions, returning year after year to watch both our new holiday offerings as well as revisit their past favorites….Everyone could use some holiday cheer and we aim to bring a wide variety — joyous family comedies, magically festive romances, delicious sugar fixes and reimagined holiday classics,” says Christina Rogers, director of independent film at Netflix, in a statement.
She oversees many of Netflix’s holiday films, which are being watched more and more.
According to the streaming service, holiday content viewing increased 30 percent from 2019 to 2021, based on hours viewed. And 50 percent of Netflix subscribers watched at least one holiday title in November and December of last year.
“There is a little bit of an uptick in subscription numbers around the holidays, because people want to buy into the platforms that deliver them good content,” Saunders says. “Holiday movies definitely help with that. There is a benefit to getting new subscribers, but for the most part, really it’s about satisfying existing subscribers and making sure there’s great content on there for them and making sure that they tune into Netflix when they want to be entertained or get into the holiday spirit.”
So, what makes a good holiday flick?
It’s all about “a feel-good” element, says Damian, who also produced “The Christmas Waltz” and “Much Ado About Christmas” — “snow,” “baking” and “twinkling lights.”
Netflix’s 5 Most Popular* Holiday Films
“The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two” (2020): Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn reunite as Santa and Mrs. Claus.
“The Christmas Chronicles” (2018): Kurt Russell stars as Santa Claus (with a cameo from Goldie Hawn as Mrs. Claus) in a family-friendly adventure movie.
“Love Hard” (2021): After connecting with a guy on a dating app, a young woman learns she’s been catfished after flying to surprise him for Christmas, with Nina Dobrev, Darren Barnet and Jimmy O. Yang.
“Holidate” (2020): Two singles decide to be each other’s plus-ones, with Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey.
“The Princess Switch” (2018): Starring Vanessa Hudgens in multiple roles, it’s the first of three in the film series.
*based on hours viewed in their first 28 days in the U.S., according to Netflix
Best of WWD
