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Die Hard Returns To Theaters This Holiday Season

Author Ransom Garcia
Bruce Willis attends the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis

Something happened today when I opened up Facebook. It’s something that we see every year around this time. Someone on my friend list asked the age old question, “Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?” Why? Well, it’s kind of a big deal as some folks debate if it counts as a Christmas movie. Now’s your chance to watch it and decide for yourself.

Movie theaters know that people debate this every year, which is probably why a lot of cinemas around the country are bringing back the classic action movie… for a limited time.

From December 8th to December 14th, “Die Hard” will be back on the big screen, at select theaters. You can grab your tickets online right now, and quite a few local cinemas will be participating in the showings! This isn’t the first time it’s made a comeback. Back in 2018, it celebrated its 30th birthday with a similar return to theaters.

So, what’s the fuss about this movie? Well, the debate is whether “Die Hard” really fits into the Christmas movie category. It’s full of action, with Bruce Willis as John McClane during a holiday party. Heck, even John’s wife’s name is Holly. But some say it’s not Christmassy enough to be called a proper Christmas movie.

What exactly makes a movie a Christmas movie? Is it all about the snow, presents, Santa Claus, or the warm and fuzzy feeling it gives you? It’s a question that sparks a lot of discussion among movie fans.

Some people even argue that it shouldn’t be a Christmas movie, because it released during the summer of 1988. But not all Christmas movies opened during the holiday season. For example, did you know the original “Miracle on 34th Street” came out in May?

So whether or not you believe it deserves to be called a Christmas movie, you’ll soon have the chance to watch one of the greatest action films back on the big screen! And that’s pretty exciting in itself.

Yippie ki yay!

Ransom Garcia is the music director and afternoon host on 1079 Coyote Country. He’s been with the station since 2017, but he’s been on the Las Vegas airwaves since 2003. Although he's Vegas Born AND Raised, Ransom also has on-air duties on sister station Kiss 95.1 in Charlotte, NC. He is also set to be inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame in September of 2024. Ransom writes articles about pop culture, human interests, technology, video games and anything affecting Las Vegas.

'Die Hard' Tops List of America's Favorite Christmas Movies

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie or not? Well, America has decided! In a new study of 100 of the U.S.’s top Christmas movies, including new releases, PlayStar has determined that the 1988 Bruce Willis flick is not only a Christmas movie but America’s favorite Christmas movie!

During their study, Playstar noted that as an overall trend, Americans tend to love seeing their own state in a wintery wonderland. Washington loves Sleepless in Seattle, Illinois hearts Home Alone (set in Chicago), Connecticut favors Christmas in Connecticut, Missouri unsurprisingly is enthused about Meet Me in St. Louis, and Minnesota goes for Jingle All the Way (filmed in the Twin Cities area).

Perhaps your state doesn’t have its own Christmas movie. You may subconsciously favor one that’s in the same region. For example, Vermont was also a big fan of Jingle All the Way. Several Southern states like Nevada, Texas, and Arizona loved Edward Scissorhands, which was filmed in Florida. What seems to separate northern or southern Christmas favorites seems to consider the climates related to your hometown. However, there were a few wildcard states whose favorite Christmas movies had nothing to do with the climate. For example, New Jersey and Pennsylvania were lovers of Jack Frost (which takes place in Colorado), while Florida’s top pick was Die Hard (which takes place in Los Angeles). There were several individual favorites by different states, such as Scrooged, Nightmare Before Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and It’s a Wonderful Life! If anything, this research shows how many great movies are out there to love at Christmas time.

Ho Ho No You Don’t

As for the famous jolly faces of the holiday season, actors playing Santa fill big boots and even bigger beards to bring these beloved characters to life on the silver screen. By using data based on IMDB ratings, Google Trends, box office revenue, audience reviews, and net worth, the site ranked the most famous Santas. Tom Hanks took the top spot for his role in the much-debated animated Christmas film The Polar Express. Every year, folks argue online about how they either hate or love the 2004 movie. Despite how you personally feel about the film, it is impressive that Hanks voiced six different characters. Coming in second is Tim Allen’s role as Scott Calvin in The Santa Clause saga. David Harbour and Billy Bob Thornton tied for third place, for their respective roles in Violent Night and Bad Santa.

See below the top 10 festive films, using data from Google trends basing the rankings per the viewer and critic ratings sourced from IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.

  • 10. Jack Frost

    IMDB Rating: 5.4
    Favorite in 2 states: New Jersey and Pennsylvania
    Rotten Tomatoes score: 19%

    The film starred Michael Keaton as the titular character. As a touring musician clinging to dreams of stardom, the aging rocker (Keaton) never had much time for his wife, Gabby (Kelly Preston), and young son, Charlie (Joseph Cross). A year after his tragic death in a car accident on Christmas Day, Charlie plays a mournful tune on his father’s harmonica. Much to his surprise, Jack Frost is magically brought to life as a snowman on the family lawn.

  • 9. Jingle All The Way

    IMDB Rating: 5.7
    Favorite in 2 states: Vermont and Minnesota
    Rotten Tomatoes score: 20%

    Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in this 1996 comedy film as workaholic Howard Langston. He wants to make things up to his son, Jamie (Jake Lloyd), and wife, Liz (Rita Wilson). He promises to get Jamie the hottest toy of the season, Turbo-Man — even though it’s Christmas Eve and the toy is practically sold out. As Langston hunts down the elusive gift, he runs into mailman Myron (Sinbad), another father on the same quest.

  • 8. The Holiday

    IMDB Rating: 6.9
    Favorite in 2 states: Massachusetts, Washington, D.C.
    Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%

    This 2006 rom-com stars Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black. Dumped and depressed, Iris (Winslet) agrees to swap homes with similarly unlucky-in-love Amanda (Diaz) for a much-needed break. Iris finds herself in a palatial Hollywood mansion while Amanda navigates the lanes of a picture-perfect English village. Soon enough, both lovelorn ladies bump into local lads perfect for a romantic pick-me-up.

  • 7. The Santa Clause

    IMDB Rating: 6.5
    Favorite in 2 states: Indiana, Tennessee
    Rotten Tomatoes score: 73%

    The 1994 film follows the story of divorced dad Scott (Tim Allen), who has custody of his son (Eric Lloyd) on Christmas Eve. After he accidentally kills a man in a Santa suit, they are magically transported to the North Pole, where an elf explains that Scott must take Santa’s place before the next Christmas arrives. Scott thinks he’s dreaming, but over the next several months, he gains weight and grows a big white beard.

  • 6. Christmas with the Kranks

    IMDB Rating: 5.4
    Favorite in 3 states: South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky
    Rotten Tomatoes score: 5%

    Allen stars in another Christmas-themed film ten years after The Santa Clause. This time, he stars as Luther Krank, joined by his wife Nora Krank (Jamie Lee Curtis), who plans to skip the Christmas traditions and take a cruise in the Caribbean instead. This doesn’t sit well with their Christmas-obsessed neighbors Vic Frohmeyer (Dan Aykroyd) and Walt Scheel (M. Emmet Walsh), who are determined to win the annual “best decorated street” competition, and the Kranks soon find themselves social outcasts because of their lack of Christmas spirit.

  • 5. Elf

    IMDB Rating: 7.1
    Favorite in 3 states: Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio
    Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%

    In 2003, Will Ferrell set himself apart from all other live-action Christmas movies with a starring role as an elf. Ferrell plays Buddy, who was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. His real father is Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results.

  • 4. White Christmas

    IMDB Rating: 7.6
    Favorite in 3 states: Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin
    Rotten Tomatoes score: 77%

    This 1954 musical comedy stars Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye), who join sister act Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy Haynes (Vera-Ellen) to perform a Christmas show in rural Vermont. There, they run into General Waverly (Dean Jagger), the boys’ commander in World War II, who they learn is having financial difficulties; his quaint country inn is failing. The foursome teams up to perform a yuletide miracle to get his business back with a fun-filled musical extravaganza.

  • 3. Edward Scissorhands

    IMDB Rating: 7.9
    Favorite in 4 states: California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas
    Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%

    Tim Burton’s 1990 fantasy romance film kicks off the top three. This film is another source of debates on whether it qualifies as a Christmas film. The last third of the movie centers around Peg’s (Diane West) annual Christmas party. One of the most memorable moments is when Winona Ryder’s Kim goes out into the backyard to find Edward making an angel ice sculpture, which creates a beautiful sprinkling of “snow.”

  • 2. Home Alone

    IMDB Rating: 7.7
    Favorite in 4 states: New York, North Carolina, Illinois, Michigan
    Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

    The 1990 classic that put Macaulay Culkin on the map as one of the most iconic childhood actors in history takes the no. 2 spot on the list. What is so charming about this first installment is how Culkin’s bratty Kevin McCallister learns how much he loves his family, and how ingeniously he adapts to oncoming danger to protect his family home from con men (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) robbing the place.

  • 1. Die Hard

    IMDB Rating: 8.2
    Favorite in 8 states: North Dakota, Idaho, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Virginia, Maryland
    Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

    Bruce Willis became a massive movie star with this 1988 action-thriller. Starring as New York City policeman John McClane, he joins his estranged wife at a holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for. But the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who take over the exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it. McClane realizes that only he can save the hostages.

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Author Ransom Garcia
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