More than just a seasonal tradition, the holiday movie has become an entire sub-genre unto itself. However, don’t take that to mean that every film in which Christmas (or New Year’s Eve) plays a part is filled with heartwarming cheer.
To determine the best holiday movies ever made, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of December 2022, weighting all ratings equally. Directorial and acting credits are from IMDb.
We found that some favorites – for instance, “Batman Returns” and “Gremlins” – feature the holidays in an ironic fashion, by injecting pure chaos into an otherwise festive framework. Then we have the recent indie classic “Tangerine,” which uses a holiday backdrop as an almost alienating force as it explores various lives on the fringes of society.
Of course, something like “Tangerine” – or the frankly sexual “Eyes Wide Shut” or the recent horror thriller “Better Watch Out” – are really more exceptions to the rule of seasonal fare. By and large, history’s most beloved holiday films tend to pull at the heartstrings or conjure a fun viewing experience for the whole family. (Here’s a look at every major holiday’s highest-grossing movie.)
Click here for a list of the best holiday movies ever made
From “A Christmas Story” to “It’s a Wonderful Life” to “Elf” to countless adaptations of “A Christmas Carol,” these timeless movies come around once a year to drive home the feel-good vibes already wafting in the air like the smell of chestnuts over an open fire. (Our preferences in holiday fare can be regionally diverse; see the top-trending Christmas movie in every state.)
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
50. The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (64,222 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (1,557 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67% (58 reviews)
> Directed by: Clay Kaytis
> Starring: Kurt Russell, Darby Camp, Judah Lewis
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Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
49. Love Actually (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (447,898 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (31,626,919 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 64% (224 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Curtis
> Starring: Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Liam Neeson
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
48. The Ref (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (23,990 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (27,017 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (54 reviews)
> Directed by: Ted Demme
> Starring: Denis Leary, Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
47. Destination Tokyo (1943)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (4,971 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 65% (2,809 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (5 reviews)
> Directed by: Delmer Daves
> Starring: Cary Grant, John Garfield, Alan Hale
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Source: Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment
46. Better Watch Out (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (34,252 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 65% (4,614 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (65 reviews)
> Directed by: Chris Peckover
> Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
45. The Best Man Holiday (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (15,359 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (52,758 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 70% (97 reviews)
> Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee
> Starring: Monica Calhoun, Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa
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Source: Courtesy of Entertainment One
44. Happiest Season (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (31,005 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (948 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (204 reviews)
> Directed by: Clea DuVall
> Starring: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Mary Steenburgen
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
43. Batman Returns (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (285,285 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (641,508 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (84 reviews)
> Directed by: Tim Burton
> Starring: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer
Source: Courtesy of Miramax
42. Bad Santa (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (138,068 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (200,982 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (221 reviews)
> Directed by: Terry Zwigoff
> Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham
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Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
41. Home Alone (1990)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (507,829 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (1,027,095 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 66% (58 reviews)
> Directed by: Chris Columbus
> Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
40. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (318,160 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (192,798 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 75% (159 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
> Starring: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Todd Field
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Source: Courtesy of Netflix
39. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (16,354 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (595 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (75 reviews)
> Directed by: David E. Talbert
> Starring: Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
38. While You Were Sleeping (1995)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (96,173 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (216,626 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (61 reviews)
> Directed by: Jon Turteltaub
> Starring: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
37. Going My Way (1944)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (11,237 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (5,796 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (31 reviews)
> Directed by: Leo McCarey
> Starring: Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh
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Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
36. An Affair to Remember (1957)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (28,846 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (37,344 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 65% (31 reviews)
> Directed by: Leo McCarey
> Starring: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Richard Denning
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
35. Rise of the Guardians (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (163,799 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (124,361 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 75% (161 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Ramsey
> Starring: Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
34. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (165,817 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (222,757 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67% (46 reviews)
> Directed by: Jeremiah S. Chechik
> Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
33. 3 Godfathers (1948)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (8,985 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (2,300 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (12 reviews)
> Directed by: John Ford
> Starring: John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey Jr.
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
32. Elf (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (238,718 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (909,911 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (194 reviews)
> Directed by: Jon Favreau
> Starring: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart
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Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
31. The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (7,277 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (7,125 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (20 reviews)
> Directed by: Leo McCarey
> Starring: Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Henry Travers
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
30. Gremlins (1984)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (207,647 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (451,959 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (72 reviews)
> Directed by: Joe Dante
> Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
29. Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (8,586 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (3,744 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (17 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Godfrey
> Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
28. Arthur Christmas (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (54,530 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (15,497 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (169 reviews)
> Directed by: Sarah Smith & Barry Cook
> Starring: James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
27. Blast of Silence (1961)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (3,958 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (809 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (15 reviews)
> Directed by: Allen Baron
> Starring: Allen Baron, Molly McCarthy, Larry Tucker
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Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
26. Carol (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (122,012 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (29,764 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (313 reviews)
> Directed by: Todd Haynes
> Starring: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
25. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (51,864 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (122,361 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (51 reviews)
> Directed by: Brian Henson
> Starring: Michael Caine, Kermit the Frog, Dave Goelz
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Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
24. The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (15,300 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (8,004 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (25 reviews)
> Directed by: Henry Koster
> Starring: Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
23. White Christmas (1954)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (36,513 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (50,190 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (43 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Curtiz
> Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney
Source: Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
22. Tangerine (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (29,198 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (11,401 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (160 reviews)
> Directed by: Sean Baker
> Starring: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian
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Source: Courtesy of Saliva Films
21. Female Trouble (1974)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (8,882 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (7,387 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (26 reviews)
> Directed by: John Waters
> Starring: Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
20. Trading Places (1983)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (143,204 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (87,774 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (49 reviews)
> Directed by: John Landis
> Starring: Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Ralph Bellamy
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
19. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (220,859 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (203,542 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (182 reviews)
> Directed by: Shane Black
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
18. Little Women (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (55,003 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (87,630 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (39 reviews)
> Directed by: Gillian Armstrong
> Starring: Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
17. A Christmas Carol (1938)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (6,690 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (56,582 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (13 reviews)
> Directed by: Edwin L. Marin
> Starring: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart
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Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
16. March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (6,296 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (4,637 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (16 reviews)
> Directed by: Gus Meins & Charley Rogers
> Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Virginia Karns
Source: Courtesy of MGM/UA Entertainment Company
15. A Christmas Story (1983)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (136,883 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (286,048 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (57 reviews)
> Directed by: Bob Clark
> Starring: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin
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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
14. Holiday Inn (1942)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (14,023 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (11,884 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (25 reviews)
> Directed by: Mark Sandrich & Robert Allen
> Starring: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds
Source: Courtesy of Embassy Pictures
13. The Lion in Winter (1968)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (30,301 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (13,125 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (41 reviews)
> Directed by: Anthony Harvey
> Starring: Peter O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
12. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (461,303 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (1,033,117 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (60 reviews)
> Directed by: Tim Burton
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest
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Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
11. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (44,085 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (47,635 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (47 reviews)
> Directed by: George Seaton
> Starring: Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara, John Payne
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
10. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (22,263 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (37,079 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (33 reviews)
> Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
> Starring: Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor
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Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
9. Groundhog Day (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (595,765 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (416,991 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (84 reviews)
> Directed by: Harold Ramis
> Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
8. Little Women (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (165,569 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (18,202 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (424 reviews)
> Directed by: Greta Gerwig
> Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
7. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (85,564 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (24,773 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (77 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Laughton
> Starring: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish
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Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
6. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (309,910 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (968,895 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (97 reviews)
> Directed by: Henry Selick
> Starring: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
5. Die Hard (1988)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (820,820 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (574,298 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (79 reviews)
> Directed by: John McTiernan
> Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia
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Source: Courtesy of United Artists
4. The Apartment (1960)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (172,183 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (38,259 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (72 reviews)
> Directed by: Billy Wilder
> Starring: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
3. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (30,166 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (11,972 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (37 reviews)
> Directed by: Ernst Lubitsch
> Starring: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
2. Klaus (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (119,752 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (2,481 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (70 reviews)
> Directed by: Sergio Pablos
> Starring: Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmons, Rashida Jones
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Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
1. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
> IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (422,428 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (219,179 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (87 reviews)
> Directed by: Frank Capra
> Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
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