When Macaulay Culkin recently said he didn’t consider Die Hard to be a Christmas movie — in one of pop culture’s most heated holiday debates — he was criticized by the live audience.
But it seems the British people are behind the actor, with a poll revealing that Home Alone is the UK’s favorite festive film, while Die Hard has not been officially voted a Christmas film.
A survey of 2,000 people by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) found that 44% did not consider Die Hard to be a Christmas film. But it was a close call, as 38% defended the film’s festival credentials, with 5% also choosing it as their favorite genre. The remaining 17% were undecided on its classification.
Home Alone was the clear winner as the favorite of 20% of respondents. It was followed by Love Actually (9%), It’s a Wonderful Life (8%), and Elf (7%).
When it came to what exactly makes a perfect Christmas movie, a heartwarming story led (33%), followed by family friendliness (15%) and humor (13%). Only 2% of respondents looked for a tear-jerker.
David Austin, chief executive of the BBFC, said the research showed that “heart-warming, family-friendly stories remain at the heart of the country’s Christmas viewing traditions”.
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Meanwhile, only a fifth (18%) of respondents said that going to the cinema during Christmas was a tradition for them and their family. Of those, a third (33%) said they go before Christmas Eve, while 20% preferred to go on Boxing Day.
Culkin made his comments during an event celebrating the 35th anniversary of Home Alone in California last month. The 45-year-old actor listed his favorite Christmas movies, before adding: “Okay guys, Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.”
After facing criticism, he responded: “I know. Some of you want to fight me. I’ll meet you at the loading dock, but it’s just a movie that’s set on Christmas. If you set it on St. Patrick’s Day, (it’s) exactly the same movie. But you set Home Alone on St. Patrick’s Day…”
The debate over Die Hard’s Christmas credentials has been ongoing for years, with differences of opinion even among those involved in the production of the 1989 film. The director, John McTiernan, has said that he had no intention of doing so but was pleased that it “turned into a Christmas movie”. Bruce Willis joked in 2018: “Die Hard is not a Christmas movie, it’s a terrible Bruce Willis movie.”
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