Christmas Movie Favorite in the UK? It's a Wonderful Life, Duh! (And it was an initial flop)
What's the best Christmas movie, in the eyes of many UK viewers? For many German fans, the answer might be "Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella," but in the UK, other classics have the spotlight. "Radio Times," a British TV guide, surveyed its readers in 2021 to find the ultimate Christmas movie.
The clear winner? "It's a Wonderful Life" by Frank Capra, released in 1946. In this black-and-white classic, James Stewart plays a good-hearted banker facing financial ruin, considering suicide on Christmas Eve. A guardian angel, Clarence, shows him an alternate world without him, sparking his will to live and return to his family.
The fact that "It's a Wonderful Life" took the top spot isn't surprising. The tragicomedy has topped other rankings, such as "Esquire," and has captivated viewers for years. But this poignant flick wasn't so popular when it initially hit theaters. Critics were lukewarm toward it, and it barely ranked in the top 25 movies of 1946. Due to high production costs, the film even lost half a million dollars.
The second spot went to "The Muppets Christmas Story," with Michael Caine as the evil Ebenezer Scrooge. "Buddy, the Christmas Elf," shot more recently, claimed third place.
Mainstream titles like "Die Hard" and "Home Alone" took fourth and fifth place. But surprisingly, the modern classic "Love, Actually," starring Heike Makatsch and Claudia Schiffer, came in sixth. So the UK still managed to make its way to the top ten — without Cinderella.
Best Christmas Movies in the UK, According to "Radio Times":
- "It's a Wonderful Life" - 16%
- "The Muppets Christmas Story" - 12%
- "Buddy, the Christmas Elf" - 11%
- "Die Hard" - 10%
- "Home Alone" - 8%
- "Love, Actually" - 7%
- "A Merry Christmas" - 4%
- "White Christmas" - 4%
- "Scrooge" - 4%
- "The Miracle of Manhattan" - 3%
Sources:
- "Radiotimes"
- Stern.de
Enrichment Data:
One interesting fact is that, while "It's a Wonderful Life" came out on top in the 2021 "Radio Times" survey, the same movie didn't rank so highly in a similar poll conducted by "The Telegraph" earlier. This shows how opinions on Christmas movies can differ based on the survey and the audience. The best Christmas movie, it seems, is often in the eye of the beholder. Consider this when playing any holiday movie trivia games with your friends and family.
