Top 40 most rewatched Christmas films - with two kids' classics topping the list

Festive film lovers have revealed the top Christmas movies they have rewatched the most – with Home Alone, The Snowman, and Love Actually topping the list.

A poll of 2,000 adults found that the average film fan reckons they have seen their favourite festive flick as many as eight times – with Elf, Die Hard, and The Holiday also ranking highly.

One in four feel like it is officially Christmas after settling in to watch a good seasonal movie – and almost half (44%) prefer the “classics”, like It's A Wonderful Life, to anything modern.

Top reasons for re-watching films included simply enjoying it (52%), feeling nostalgic (40%), and it becoming a tradition (31%).

The research was commissioned by The National Lottery, which is thanking its players by giving away 50,000 free tickets, including drinks and snacks, to screenings of Love Actually – the third most rewatched festive movie – in cinemas across the UK.

Joanna Page and Martin Freeman in Love Actually, 2003 (2003 Universal Studios)

A spokesman said: “Christmas films bring people together and create a thrill of excitement ahead of the big day – and rewatching favourites has clearly become a tradition for many, who can quote what’s coming next.

“It’s great to see how much people love Christmas films. There is something warming and nostalgic about watching festive movies as the nights draw in and decorations are up.

“But films are made for the big screen, and it's great to see Love Actually is the number one British film viewers re-watch.”

The research also found the typical holiday season sees people watch seven Christmas films, with December 24th the most popular day to do so (63%).

But while 46% wait until December, almost a quarter (23%) tend to watch their first festive movie as early as November.

And more than half (53%) claimed watching Christmas movies with family and friends is part of their yearly traditions, with 41% opting to watch nostalgic titles from their childhood.

People are most likely to watch a Christmas movie with their partner (59%), as well as their children (43%) and their parents (28%).

And comedies are the preferred genre of festive films to watch (41%), followed by rom-coms (28%) and action titles (23%).

Those polled, via OnePoll, have watched Love Actually an average of four times – with the most popular scene being the Prime Minister, played by Hugh Grant, dancing (17%).

Other memorable moments were Mark confessing his love for Juliet with messages on boards outside her house (15%), and the Prime Minister and Natalie getting caught kissing at the school nativity (14%).

MOST RE-WATCHED CHRISTMAS FILMS:

1. Home Alone
2. The Snowman
3. Love Actually
4. Home Alone 2: Lost In New York
5. Elf
6. Die Hard
7. A Christmas Carol
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas
9. Miracle On 34th Street
10. It's A Wonderful Life
11. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
12. Gremlins
13. The Polar Express
14. The Muppet Christmas Carol
15. White Christmas
16. The Holiday
17. The Grinch (2018)
18. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
19. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
20. The Santa Clause
21. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
22. Scrooged
23. Lethal Weapon
24. Trading Places
25. Jingle All The Way
26. Nativity
27. Arthur Christmas
28. Bad Santa
29. Jack Frost
30. Deck The Halls
31. Christmas With The Kranks
32. Last Christmas
33. A Christmas Story
34. Fred Claus
35. Meet Me In St. Louis
36. The Christmas Chronicles
37. Mickey's Christmas Carol
38. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
39. Four Christmases
40. A Charlie Brown Christmas