‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Most Popular Christmas Movie in America

Survey Monkey online polls put the Jimmy Stewart classic at the top, with Love Actually rounding out the bottom of a festive top ten.

It’s a Wonderful Life edges out the leg lamp and BB gun crowd that adores A Christmas Story, primarily due to its popularity with everyone over 35. Fourteen percent of people 35-64 love seeing how an angel earns his wings, with a whopping 25 percent of the 65-plus crowd endorsing the decision.

Home Alone is an unsurprising third place, thanks to a strong 24 percent showing among teens, and almost as many — 19 percent — adults 18-34 in agreement. Runners-up include National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the animated original, not the bizarre Jim Carrey career torpedo), and Will Ferrell’s modern comedy classic Elf.

Another classic, Miracle on 34th Street, leads A Charlie Brown Christmas. At ninth and tenth place are the divisive cult classic Die Hard — this reporter’s personal favorite — and the shameless romance of Love Actually. Axios breaks down some interesting tidbits:

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Elf” are more popular among the younger set. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” has one specific audience: boomers and Gen-Xers who know who Chevy Chase is. And the big lesson: not enough people have seen “Die Hard.”

Two million people were polled for the survey from December 10-17, with an additional 802 teens questioned separately. Data was weighted for “age, race, sex, education, and geography.”