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When I saw David Harbour (Santa) going up against John Leguizamo (Scrooge) in the trailer for Violent Night, I was in. Well, that and the first chuckle did it. Which came in the first 10 seconds when the bartender asks Santa, “You ain’t driving, are you?” And he says, “I steer a little, but the reindeer do most of the work.”
It just got better from there. Basically, bad guys decide to rob a family on Christmas Eve and hold them hostage, not realizing that jolly old St. Nick is there too. Except, Santa Claus shows them “why this Nick is no saint.” He’s a full-on badass with killer skills —and one-liners!
It looked both fun and cuckoo-crazy, and I think that’s why others were so interested in it too. In fact, it turns out that according to PlayStar, Violent Night was the most anticipated holiday movie of 2022.
Even better, you know how sometimes the trailer looks great, but it turns out if you watched it, you’ve seen the movie? I feared Violent Night‘s trailer might be one of those. However, so far, it’s not disappointing, judging from the ratings. Since its release on December 2, audiences have given it a thumbs up. It’s garnered 7.1/10 on IMDB, a 71% Rotten Tomatoes score, and a whopping 92% of Google users liked it.
Of course, as of this post, it’s still early days. The numbers could change (and likely will), but generally, it’s a good indication that it’s as an enjoyably wild ride as the trailer portrays it to be.
And if it reminds you a little of Home Alone and a lot of Die Hard, that’s not surprising. Both of those movies also ranked on PlayStar’s list of “Most Popular Christmas Movies in the U.S.” Let’s check out what else their research revealed, starting with how they compiled it.
The Data
PlayStar collected data about the U.S.’s top 100 Christmas movies from Google trends. They based their rankings on the level of interest in each film per state. They also sourced viewer and critic ratings from IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.
PlayStar’s List of Most Popular Festive Films
Sure, debate continues over whether Die Hard qualifies as a Christmas Movie or not, but year after year many people pick it as their favorite. Eight states did, in fact, including Florida, Maryland, and Virginia. Maybe that also explains why so many movie lovers were anticipating Violent Night .
Texas and New York often differ on politics, but they share holiday movies in common. They both crowned Home Alone and Edward Scissorhands their favorite holiday movies.
2022’s Most Anticipated Holiday Movies
PlayStar’s study also examined which festive releases were most anticipated. Violent Night “sleighed” the competition, with a search volume of 8,100.
Hallmark Channel’s We Need a Little Christmas came in a distant second with is search volume of 3,600.
Netflix’s Falling For Christmas, starring Lindsay Lohan who’s making a comeback after a long acting hiatus, came in third with a search volume of 2900.
The Most “Christmassy” U.S. State
Another fun stat PlayStar determined was which state reigned as most “Christmassy” based on their festive nature and mix of Christmas traditions. They determined Indiana narrowly beat out Ohio for the honor of wearing the crown. But Kentucky and Utah followed close behind.
States with the Best Taste in Christmas Movies
As far as states that chose the most critically acclaimed movies for their top spots, including Meet Me In St.Louis (IMDB rating 7.5) and Nightmare Before Christmas (IMDB rating 7.9), PlayStar’s data determined that Missouri, Rhode Island, and New Mexico had the best taste.
States with the Worst Taste in Christmas Movies
Three southern states chose the worst-rated film as their festive favorite, Christmas With The Kranks (IMDB rating 5.4): Alabama, Kentucky, and South Carolina. For that, PlayStar determined they had the worst taste in holiday movies out of all the states.
States with the Most Patriotic Taste in Christmas Movies
I’m not sure “patriotic” is the best word choice for this category, but as far as states favoring holiday movies based in their state and choosing them as their favorite, that’s what Washington and Connecticut did. They picked Sleepless in Seattle and Christmas In Connecticut, respectively.
Violent Night Trailer
For More Info
To see PlayStar’s interactive analysis, and to see what holiday movie is most popular in your state, visit https://www.playstar.com/explore/most-popular-christmas-movies-us-2022.
Check-In
Is your favorite holiday movie(s) or state mentioned in any of PlayStar’s stats?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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Elf is so fun. In December I often answer the phone, “Priscilla the elf speaking, what’s your favorite color?”
“SANTA? I KNOW HIM!!!” OMG Elf is such a great pick. AND the fact that you often answer the phone in December like that just makes your coolness factor skyrocket even higher than I thought it could!!!
Hahaha, “Santa, I know him!” is also something I say when I see one at a store.:-)
BWAHAHAHA! That’d make you fun to shop with!!!