Christmas movies are taking over the holiday months. They are becoming so popular that nearly every streaming service has an entire section dedicated to Christmas and holiday movies. Fortunately, versatility is one of the genre’s greatest strengths, as Christmas movies range from blockbusters and action epics to rom-coms and animated classics.
While most Christmas movies head directly to streamers, several became massive hits theatrically. Some of these movies became so big that they inspired sequels and kicked off franchises. What holiday films stand above the rest? Below are the rankings for the 10 highest-grossing Christmas movies of all time.
*All worldwide box office figures taken from Box Office Mojo.
10. Die Hard 2 (1990) – $240 million
The debate over Die Hard and its status as a Christmas movie has inspired spirited arguments on both sides. But if Die Hard is a Christmas movie, so is Die Hard 2. Set once again on Christmas Eve, teh sequel sees LAPD Lieutenant John McClane heads to Washington Dulles International Airport to pick up his wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), from her flight.
Wherever McClane goes, trouble seems to follow, however. This year, terrorists seize control of the airport and threaten to crash every plane landing at Dulles if their demands are not met. The terrorists want the plane carrying corrupt military leader Ramon Esperanza (Franco Nero) to land safely at the airport. Because Holly is on one of the planes, McClane springs into action, proving once again why he is the thorn in every criminal’s side.
Stream Die Hard 2 on Hulu.
9. Love Actually (2003) – $250 million
Love Actually is in the running for the most polarizing Christmas movie of all time. Some believe Love Actually is still great, while others cannot look past some of the movie’s unlikable characters and the creepiness of scenes like the cue card profession of love outside the house. Still, Love Actually did terrific business in theaters and always draws a huge audience around the holidays.
Directed by Richard Curtis, Love Actually features nearly a dozen intertwined stories about romance and friendship during the holiday season. Some of the storylines include the British prime minister (Hugh Grant) courting one of his junior staff members (Martine McCutcheon), a man (Andrew Lincoln) secretly in love with his best friend’s wife (Keira Knightley), and a writer (Colin Firth) contemplating his feelings for his housekeeper (Lúcia Moniz).
Stream Love Actually on Prime Video.
8. Batman Returns (1992) – $267 million
Like the Die Hard films, Batman Returns is always at the center of heated debates over its inclusion in the Christmas movie genre. Batman Returns takes place during the holiday season, with a pivotal scene involving a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. That’s good enough to make it on this list.
Wealthy businessman Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) is blackmailed into teaming with Oswald Cobblepot, aka Penguin (Danny DeVito), to take over Gotham. The duo’s plan includes ridding the city of Batman (Michael Keaton), the masked vigilante who won’t go down without a fight. Complicating the matter is Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer), Shreck’s executive assistant, who survives an assassination attempt and becomes Catwoman.
Stream Batman Returns on Max.
7. The Polar Express (2004) – $318 million
All aboard! Robert Zemeckis used live-action and motion-capture computer animation in The Polar Express, the feature film adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg’s 1985 book of the same name. On Christmas Eve night, a young boy (Daryl Sabara) is shocked to learn that a magical train, the Polar Express, stops outside of his house.
The conductor (Tom Hanks) invites the boy onto the train, with their destination being the North Pole. Once on the train, the boy meets other kids hoping to see Santa Claus at his headquarters. Throughout that one night, the boy learns about the true meaning of Christmas in this heartwarming tale made for families.
Stream The Polar Express on Max.
6. A Christmas Carol (2009) – $325 million
In his first of two movies on this list, Jim Carrey takes on Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge in Robert Zemeckis’ animated movie A Christmas Carol. To say Scrooge hates Christmas is putting it lightly. As a greedy businessman, Scrooge wants nothing to do with the holiday.
On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his old business partner Jacob Marley (Gary Oldman), who informs him that three spirits — the Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present, and Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (all played by Carey) — will visit through the night. The ghosts take Scrooge to seminal moments in his life to show him that he must repent for his wrongdoings or confront a bleak future.
Stream A Christmas Carol on Disney+.
5. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (2000) – $347 million
There goes Carey again. This time, the comedian spent hours in the makeup chair to star as the green titular character in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Ron Howard’s live-action adaptation of the beloved children’s book. In a mountainous cave overlooking Whoville, there lives the Grinch (Carey), a green creature who despises Christmas.
The Grinch plans to ruin the holiday for the residents of Whoville by disguising himself as Santa and stealing all of their presents. The Grinch has his plan all figured out until Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), a delightful 6-year-old, nominates him as the town’s Holiday Cheermeister. With a little holiday spirit, perhaps the Grinch can grow a heart after all.
Stream Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! on Peacock beginning December 20.
4. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) – $359 million
Apparently, leaving Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) home alone wasn’t enough stress for the McCallisters. The family loses their 10-year-old for the holidays for the second time in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The McCallisters are headed to Florida on a family vacation. This time, Kevin makes it to the airport with the rest of his family. However, Kevin gets separated from his father, and he accidentally boards a plane to New York City.
At first, Kevin loves his time in the Big Apple, as the city’s cold weather and holiday traditions better resemble Christmas than those in Florida. However, Kevin’s vacation is thrown into disarray after runnning into Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), aka the Wet Bandits, the criminals who attempted to rob the McCallister house in Home Alone. Once again, Kevin must thwart the Wet Bandits’ plans and save Christmas by building a new set of diabolical traps.
Stream Home Alone 2: Lost in New York on Disney+.
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) – $365 million
Everyone’s favorite singing rodents are at the heart of the live-action Alvin and the Chipmunks. A trio of chipmunk brothers — Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler), and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) — end up living with struggling songwriter Dave Seville (Jason Lee). After hearing the trio sing, Dave agrees to let the brothers live with him if they sing his songs.
The chipmunks start off rocky, failing to overcome their stage fright. However, the boys eventually impress executive Ian Hawke (David Cross) so much that he signs them to a record deal. As the chipmunks gain more popularity, they become more infatuated with fame, turning a blind eye to their morals. Dave, who now realizes he loves the boys, intervenes and attempts to save the trio before they embark on a treacherous world tour.
Stream Alvin and the Chipmunks on Max.
2. Home Alone (1990) – $477 million
One of the films gunning for the title of the most popular Christmas movie ever is Home Alone, the 1990 family comedy by director Chris Columbus and screenwriter John Hughes. In the Chicago suburbs, the McCallisters plan to spend their Christmas vacation in Paris. A power outage during the night causes the family to oversleep on the morning of their flight. Pandemonium ensues as the McCallisters race to the airport and luckily make their flight with moments to spare.
Well, at least they thought everyone made it. The family forgot about 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Culkin), who slept in the attic. Kevin enjoys his newfound freedom until two burglars, Harry (Pesci) and Marv (Stern), plan to rob his house. It’s up to Kevin to defend the house by any means possible. Home Alone became a gigantic hit, finishing as the second highest-grossing movie of 1990, behind Ghost.
Stream Home Alone on Disney+.
1. The Grinch (2018) – $540 million
Leave it to the anti-Christmas green creature to headline the highest-grossing Christmas movie ever, The Grinch. In the town of Whoville, the Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) lives with his dog, Max, inside a cave on Mount Crumpet. The Grinch hates people, but he despises the town’s residents even more during the holidays.
This year, the Grinch decides to eliminate the holiday spirit by disguising himself as Santa Claus and stealing every present and decoration. The Grinch believes he has a bulletproof scheme, but he didn’t plan for Cindy Lou Who (Cameron Seely), a young resident of Whoville who wants to speak with Santa Claus about lightening her mother’s workload.
Stream The Grinch on Peacock.
