1930's
Remember the Night (1939): A Christmas classic rom-com, this film grossed $167,800 in the US box office when it was released, which would be around $3,810,000 in 2024.
Redefining holiday classics: What’s each decade’s most iconic Christmas movie?
Jumplinks:
From It’s a Wonderful Life to Elf, classic Christmas movies have been a constant over the past 80 or so years.
Whether your Christmas traditions include watching White Christmas with your family or streaming newer films like The Holdovers on your couch, a holiday movie can feel like a classic tradition, no matter when your favorite was released.
Christmas movies have been a mainstay in American culture since motion pictures were created. So, with over 80 years of history to look at, which films are the most “classic” of their decade?
Using IMDb ratings, box office revenue, and Google Trends, the team at USDish determined the most iconic holiday movies from each decade.
Christmas classics by decade: key findings
- The highest-grossing Christmas movie of all time is The Grinch (2018), with $538 million in revenue.
- The 1970s produced only two notable Christmas films: Black Christmas and Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas.
- The lowest-grossing film, The Bishop’s Wife (1947), made just $646 in adjusted revenue.
- The 1990s and 2000s were the golden age of Christmas classics with high-rated, high-grossing movies like Home Alone, Love Actually, and Elf.
- On our list, the only film to earn box office revenue in 2020 was Happiest Season, which earned $2,110,618.
- The leading movies that are poised to be the “next classics,” judging by IMDb ratings, box office revenue, and Google Trends, would be: Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (2018) and The Holdovers (2023)
Decade-by-decade breakdown
1940's
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946): Known for its enduring message of hope and community, this timeless classic remains a holiday staple with a high IMDb rating of 8.6.
1950's
White Christmas (1954): This musical comedy from the 1950s takes place during the end of World War II, emphasizing the joy that can be found in the darkest circumstances.
1960's
The Apartment (1960): Directed by Billy Wilder, this holiday rom-com made a big splash at the box office, grossing $18,778,738—it’s also the highest-rated movie on our list with a 94% on Metascore.
1970's
Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1977): This family musical movie is by far the shortest on our list, with the runtime clocking in at just 48 minutes.
1980's
Gremlins (1984): Released on June 8, 1984, Gremlins is the only horror movie to make our list—making it perhaps the least traditional of the movies included in our research.
1990's
Home Alone (1990): This box office smash combined humor and heart, making it a quintessential holiday movie for millennials.
2000's
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (2000): Receiving the lowest IMDb and Metacritic scores on our list, this whimsical holiday film is still considered a modern-day Christmas classic by many millennials and Gen Zers.
2010's
Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (2018): While 2018’s Grinch movie is technically a remake of the 2000 classic, its engaging animation and huge box office grossings ($540,029,016!) made it a success in its own right.
2020's
The Holdovers (2023): Released just a year ago, The Holdovers brings an old-timey charm that makes it feel like it’s been around forever—perhaps because the movie itself takes place in 1970.
State-by-state Christmas trends
- Gremlins tops the list as the most-searched Christmas classic in a whopping 12 states.
- It’s a Wonderful Life was Googled the most in 9 states, with Home Alone and White Christmas both being searched the most in 8 states.
- It’s no surprise that Home Alone was searched the most in Illinois since the movie was filmed there.
- Massachusetts and Vermont were the only two states to Google The Holdovers more than the other holiday films. Perhaps the future Christmas classic’s New England setting piqued their interest.
Methodology
Our team at USDish compiled a list of the top Christmas classics and modern Christmas films. We gathered each film’s IMDb meta score, user rating, and box office revenue. We then built a ranking system based on the box office gross, meta score, and rankings to determine which film stood as a true classic for each decade. Finally, we used Google Trends to determine each state’s most Googled Christmas film classic.
Conclusion
From 1939 to today, it’s clear that Christmas movies have been a mainstay in our culture for decades. With future Christmas classics like The Holdovers already making their mark in both the viewers' and critics' minds (the movie received five Oscar nominations), we’ll probably be seeing more acclaimed holiday movies entering the world in years to come.
So, what’s your favorite holiday movie? Share your thoughts on social media or browse DISH Network’s holiday movie selections to enjoy some Christmas classics this holiday season.