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When Macaulay Culkin recently said he didn’t consider Die Hard to be a Christmas film – wading into one of pop culture’s most heated holiday debates – he was booed by a live audience.
But it looks like the British people are behind the actor, with a survey revealing that Home Alone is the UK’s favourite festive film, while Die Hard has officially been voted not a Christmas movie.
The survey of 2,000 people by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) found that 44% did not believe Die Hard to be a Christmas film. But it was a close call, as 38% defended the film’s festive credentials, with 5% even choosing it as their favourite of the genre. The remaining 17% were undecided on its classification.
Home Alone was the clear winner, as favourite to 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 the perfect Christmas film, a heartwarming story led the way (33%), followed by family friendliness (15%) and humour (13%). Only 2% of respondents sought out a tear-jerker.
David Austin, chief executive of the BBFC, said the research showed that “heartwarming, family-friendly stories continue to sit at the heart of the nation’s Christmas viewing traditions”.
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Meanwhile, just under a fifth (18%) of respondents said going to the cinema over the Christmas period 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 favourite Christmas films, before adding: “OK guys for real, Die Hard isn’t a Christmas movie.”
After being met with boos, he responded: “I know. Some of you guys want to fight me. I’ll meet you at the loading dock, but it’s just a movie that’s set at Christmas. If you set it at Saint Patrick’s Day, [it is] the exact same movie. But you set Home Alone at Saint Patrick’s Day …”
The debate over Die Hard’s Christmas credentials has been raging for years, splitting even those involved in the making of the 1989 film. The director, John McTiernan, has said he did not intend for it to be but was joyed that it “turned into a Christmas movie”. Bruce Willis joked in 2018: “Die Hard is not a Christmas movie, it’s a goddamn Bruce Willis movie.”
