When it comes to holidays traditions, there are a lot to choose from. From Christmas Shopping, to holiday parties, we all have something we love to do during the season, but watching Christmas movies is one of those activities that many of us love.
Whether you grew up watching old classics such as It's a Wonderful Life and White Christmas, or newer Christmas films like Jingle All the Way and The Polar Express, we all have one that we love to watch during the holidays.
Though many of us have a particular one we like to watch, where does your favorite movie land when it comes to the highest-grossing Christmas films of all-time?
According to Box Office Mojo, here are the top 10 most profitable Christmas films of all-time . Apologies in advance, but Die Hard does not count on this list.
Starring Macaulay Culkin and Joe Pesci, Home Alone is the highest-grossing Christmas movie of all-time. Directed by Chris Columbus and written by 80's movie icon, John Hughes, this movie is now a staple in a lot of peoples' Christmas movie rotation. Along with being the highest-grossing Christmas movie, it was also the most profitable movie of 1990. It was even nominated for two Academy Awards (Original Score and Original Song).
Based on the popular 1957 story of the same name, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas was one of the most highly anticipated Christmas movies ever. The movie starred Jim Carrey and was directed by Ron Howard, who had already directed super successful films such as Apollo 13 and Cocoon.
The movie was a tremendous success at the box office, making the most money of any movie in 2000. It spent four weeks at the top of the domestic box office and even went on to win an Academy Award for Best Makeup. Though critics gave it mixed reviews, it still has an appeal with many fans, even becoming a holiday theme called Grinchmas at Universal Studio theme parks in Orlando and Hollywood.
The Polar Express was unlike any other holiday film, or movie, during its time. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the film even holds a record for being the first all-digital capture film!
Directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, the movie gave a real-life presence to the popular 1985 book of the same name written by Chris Van Allsburg. The film was one of the top 10 grossing films of 2004 and went on to be nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Sound, Best Sound Editing and Best Original Song).
The sequel to the 1990 original Home Alone, Macaulay Culkin returned to his role as Kevin McCallister. It opened at number one on its opening weekend, making over $31 million! It went on to become the second highest-grossing film of 1992, just behind Aladdin.
Starring Will Ferrell and directed by Jon Favreau, Elf has become a modern holiday Christmas classic in which Buddy the elf (Ferrell) sets off to New York City to find his real father. The film was one of the top 10 grossing films of 2003 and was also favored by many critics.
Since its release, the movie also made its way to Broadway when it was was made into Elf: The Musical!
Back in the early 90s, one of the biggest stars in both film and television was Tim Allen. Directed by John Pasquin, who produced Home Improvement which also starred Allen, The Santa Clause went on to be a top five grossing film of 1994.
In the movie, Allen's character accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall of a roof on Christmas Eve. When Allen puts on Santa's suit, he has to become the new Santa Claus. The film would later go on to become a trilogy with two other movies released in 2002 and 2006.
Eight years after the original film, The Santa Clause 2 was released after a $65 million production budget. It opened at number one on its opening weekend cashing in $29 million, but most critics didn't favor it as much as the original.
Although, the film was still a financial success and cracked the top 20 highest grossing films of that year.
Jim Carrey makes his second appearance on the list with his role as Ebenezer Scrooge in the latest film adaptation of Charles Dickinson's classic novel, A Christmas Carol. The film opened at number one on its opening weekend, making just over $30 million.
It was also the first time the classic holiday tale received a 3-D computer generated adaptation after over 15 different takes on the novel. Though critics were mixed on the film, it still had a great success at the box office.
Unlike other films on this list, Four Christmases is the first Romantic Comedy to cash in on the holiday success! The movie stars Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, as a couple visiting all four of their divorced parents on Christmas Day.
Though many critics did not favor the film, it was still able to hold financial success due to its star-powered cast, which also included Jon Voight and Robert Duvall.
Jim Carrey isn't the only one to make this list multiple times. Will Ferrell also makes the Top 10 in his latest film, Daddy's Home 2. Though the original film wasn't a Christmas movie, its sequel has made an immediate splash at the box office since the release in November thanks to its all-star cast that also includes Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson and John Cena.
Did your favorite holiday movie make this list? If not, you can see where it ranks here!
