It’s the hap-happiest season of all. We bring nature inside as we adorn our living spaces with seasonally appropriate trees, and we light up the longer nights with bright and colourful lights. Music from generations long since passed is re-played and re-contextualised, and centuries old iconography is re-evaluated and repurposed.

There’ll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and carolling out in the snow. If we’ve been good, we’ll receive gifts (thanks Santa!), and if we’re lucky we’ll eat so much food we can barely move. Almost certainly, we’ll watch a movie. From the Netflix Originals of the current era to the silver screen classics of wartime Hollywood, Christmastime movie watching doesn’t discriminate based on picture quality, colour or the lack thereof, acting powerhouses or barely trained actors – if it works, it works. And if it’s good, we’ll hold onto it forever.

In this Movie List from The Film Magazine, we’ve scoured the annals of Christmas movie history to bring you the very best of the best to watch this holiday season. These films are Christmas classics and beloved cult hits, some culturally significant and others often overlooked. These films are seasonal treats; two advent calendars worth of movie magic from the big-wigs in Hollywood and beyond.

Short films (those with a runtime of under one hour) will not be included here, nor will films that cross multiple seasons but feel like Christmas movies – sorry You’ve Got Mail and Bridget Jones’s Diary. Debatable Christmas movies like Gremlins have also been omitted because of their inclusion in our alternative list “10 Excellent Non-Christmas Films Set at Christmas“. Seasonal classic The Apartment has also been disqualified on the grounds that it covers Christmas and beyond, and is arguably more of a new year’s movie.

These are 50 Unmissable Christmas Movies as chosen by The Film Magazine team members. Entries by Mark Carnochan, Kieran Judge, Martha Lane, Sam Sewell-Peterson and Joseph Wade.

Follow @thefilmagazine on X (Twitter).

1. Remember the Night (1940)

Golden Era stars Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray (who would go on to star in The Apartment) spark an unlikely romance when Stanwyck’s Lee Leander steals a bracelet from a jewellery store and MacMurray’s John “Jack” Sargent is assigned to prosecute her over the Christmas holidays.

One of the era’s many beloved studio romantic comedies, Remember the Night features all the elements that would come to define the genre while encompassing some screwball comedy and classic transatlantic accents. The tagline read “When good boy meets bad girl they remember the night”, and it’s likely you’ll remember this seasonal treat too. JW

2. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Few things signal classic Hollywood Christmases like Jimmy Stewart, and 6 years before arguably his most memorable performance in the iconic Frank Capra Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life, he starred in a seasonal favourite that was just as beloved by critics, The Shop Around the Corner.

This holiday romance from Ernst Lubitsch (who also directed Heaven Can Wait) sees Stewart’s Alfred fall in love with his pen pal who, unbeknownst to him, is the colleague he most despises at his gift store job – You’ve Got Mail has got nothing on this. With some hearty moments and all of the circumstantial comedy of the best movies of the era, The Shop Around the Corner will make you laugh and fill your heart in that special way that only the best Christmas movies can. JW

3. Holiday Inn (1942)

Early sound pictures were revolutionised by famed tap dancer Fred Astaire, and by 1942 he was a certified movie musical megastar. In Mark Sandrich’s seasonal musical Holiday Inn, he teams with would-be Christmas icon and man with a voice as sooth as silk, Bing Crosby. The result is one of the most iconic and influential Christmas movies ever made.

The film’s outdated attitude towards race are cringe-inducing and inexcusable in a 21st century context (there’s a whole sequence featuring blackface), but its other dated sensibilities shine bright amongst more modern and commercial Christmas films; its wholesome aura, classic dance scenes, and era-defining songs making for an unmissable experience. To top it all, Bing Crosby sings “White Christmas” for the first time in this film, cementing it in history as a seasonal classic. JW

4. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Widely acknowledged as one of the holiday season’s best-ever films, Vincente Minnelli (An American in Paris) illuminates his would-be wife Judy Garland in arguably her most established performance, bringing Christmas cheer to all without sacrificing any of the harsh realities facing the American people in the first half of the 20th century.

Featuring the original (and arguably the best) rendition of Christmas classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, and being anchored by some heartbreaking story elements, Meet Me In St. Louis maintains its power and relevance 80 years on. It offers a Christmas movie that will forever mark the height of its sub-genre, as well as the two filmmaking careers (of Minnelli and Garland) that helped to define the era. JW

Recommended for you: There’s No Place Like St. Louis at Christmas

5. Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

Remember the Night star Barbara Stanwyck is once again front and centre for a Golden Era Hollywood Christmas movie, this time playing a city magazine editor whose lies about being a perfect housewife are put to the test when her boss and a returning war hero invite themselves to her house.

This is screwball comedy with all the spirit of the festive season is as romantic as it is funny, and prominently features the shadows of World War II to gift the film a unique emotionality that has ensured it is rewatched year on year. JW

In this Movie List from The Film Magazine, we’re looking at why this early 2000s film has held up for younger viewers, in this: 5 Reasons Elf Is a Gen Z Christmas Classic.

Follow @thefilmagazine on Twitter.

1. Elf’s Use of Absurd Humor

Popular memes often dabble in some form of absurdist humor, which makes Elf’s use of it more relevant than outdated for a movie that is almost 20 years old. From the claymation animals to Buddy’s first experiences of New York, Elf illustrates the absurdity of the mundane.

On his trek from the North Pole to New York, Buddy encounters a raccoon, which he assumes will be as friendly as the claymation Arctic animals he’s used to. He is instead attacked by it. When he sees a diner with a sign that reads “World’s Best Cup of Coffee,” Buddy doesn’t hesitate to run in and enthusiastically congratulate them for the honor, to the bewilderment of customers and staff. 

From the spaghetti with maple syrup scene to Buddy’s getting drunk and breakdancing in the Empire State Building mail room, Elf is full of absurd moments that make for a hilarious and memorable movie.

2. Elf’s Quotability

In the era of TikTok “acting” and viral fancams of memorable scenes from films and TV shows, quotability is king. In my own town, a local boutique has a sign out front which reads “Six inch ribbon curls, honey. Six. Inches.”

While some films can fall victim to sacrificing plot for quotability, Elf’s plot is instead carried along by quotes like “You smell like beef and cheese. You don’t smell like Santa.” In the aforementioned case, the quote prompts Buddy to rip the fake beard from a mall Santa’s face and proceed to get into a fight with the imposter. This incident gets Buddy “fired” from his job at Gimbels, but drives him to seek out his younger half-brother, Michael (Daniel Tay), who ends up being one of Buddy’s biggest advocates through the film, especially to their dad Walter (James Caan) and Jovie. 

Recommended for you: 10 Best Home Alone Moments

Elf (2003)
Director: Jon Favreau
Screenwriter: David Berenbaum
Starring: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschanel, Ed Asner, Mary Steenburgen

Heart-warming, joyful and kind, Elf has become a timeless Christmas classic. The premise of a fully grown man dressed as an elf wandering around New York City in search of his birth father is one that could have made for a grotesque film, and yet thanks to the shared vision and unbridled devotion of its creators, this 2003 film remains as identifiable and rewatchable as ever. 

Written by David Berenbaum and directed by Jon Favreau, Elf earned $223.3million from a $33million budget, making it a certifiable box office hit. It is now considered one of the best Christmas films ever made. There are several reasons for this.

First and foremost, its star… 

Buddy was Will Ferrell’s breakout role and remains one of his most iconic performances. This was a star-making turn and led to Ferrell going from being an SNL cast member to one of the most beloved comedy actors in Hollywood. Vitally, to both Ferrell and 21st century comedy, Buddy has proven to be an outstanding and lasting protagonist. 

Without any context regarding his comedy background, Will Ferrell could easily look like any businessman. He looks average in the best way possible, and at first glance is the last person who would seem suited to playing an elf. And this makes sense: the whole point of the film, and his character’s reason for travelling to NYC, is that he doesn’t fit in with other elves and wants to find his biological family. Even when he loses the costume, Buddy the elf never disappears – he shines brightly against deeply cynical backgrounds such as grimy cafes and depressing offices. Ferrell never falters, he is equally as entertaining in a suit as he is in an elf costume.

Elf is, at its heart, about rediscovering your inner child to find happiness, and this starts with Will Ferrell treating New York like his own personal playground. From interacting with clueless people in the street (yes, the guy in the white beard and red track suit Buddy refers to as Santa was not an actor), to playing with a revolving door until he throws up, Buddy’s energy is immediately contagious.

While Will Ferrell’s star power makes the film, Jon Favreau’s visionary direction is responsible for the film’s timeless quality. Favreau had the hindsight to avoid relying on computer effects, instead employing the use of forced perspective to make Buddy appear bigger than the rest of the elves for each scene set in the North Pole. While CGI continuously improves and gets more realistic, to the point that films that are only five years old already look dated, forced perspective will always remain effective – practical effects that tricked the eye almost twenty years ago cannot age. The strength of this vision and effectiveness of this technique is even more impressive considering that this is Favreau’s sophomore film as a director (following Made). To this day, Jon Favreau’s talents as a filmmaker continue to shape the history of blockbuster cinema, with 2008’s Iron Man launching the MCU, a multi-billion-dollar franchise, and his recent work on Disney live-action remakes altering big studio release slates forever.

From costumes to set design, Elf is instantly recognisable. Favreau and Berenbaum both cite Rankin/Bass’ animated specials as a leading influence: while the writer was inspired by the animation’s innocence in his childhood, the director decided that this would also influence the look of the film. The most obvious influence comes in Elf’s stop motion animation scenes, each of which serve a vital purpose regarding Buddy’s characterisation, setting the tone for him being a memorable, charming and unusual protagonist. Leading strongly with this influence also smartly taps into the nostalgia of older audience members. Films are, after all, a communal art. Whenever a film can play on the nostalgia of a generation while being creative, it yields great results.

The heart of this film lies beyond the quality of its lead performance and the creativity of those behind the scenes however, instead settling squarely on the father and son journey – one inspired by Berenbaum’s own grief. In Elf as in life, the idea of a parent rejecting a child is a powerful one, especially when facing a character as innocent as Buddy. Yet Buddy is not jaded by the rejection of his father; he embraces him and continues to love him unconditionally throughout the film. While this, of course, leads to some hilarious scenes, it also causes heart-breaking confrontations. Much of the effectiveness of this narrative strand comes from actor James Caan, best known for his role as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, who plays to his strengths by offering a jaded and importantly intimidating presence. He is both a stand-in for the more cynical members of the audience and a noteworthy oppositional force for Buddy to bounce off. As a result of this passion, talented writing and overall quality of performance, Buddy’s father’s final acceptance of his son remains stirring to this day.

The supporting roles were also impeccably cast. Zooey Deschanel is able to strike a chord as a disenchanted worker who slowly rediscovers the magic of Christmas, while Bob Newhart brings his trademark dry humour to the character Papa Elf, balancing Buddy’s instincts as his level-headed father figure. Perhaps most crucially Ed Asner, who played Santa Claus a total of eight times in his career, is a wonderfully comforting presence in the film, radiating the same warmth we all expect of a globe-trotting gift giver.

Thanks to the shared vision of its creators and a star-making lead performance, Elf is a modern classic. Against many a stumbling block in the creative process, this strange premise for a Christmas story has ultimately made for one of the most perfect examples of a timeless Christmas favourite.

24/24

Written by Elisabetta Pulcini

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One such an answer that is often the cause of grievance and controversy is John McTiernan’s Die Hard (1988). For those who adore the season’s staples such as White Christmas and It’s A Wonderful Life, and modern favourites such as Elf and Love Actually, the idea that a film about a showdown between a single NYPD officer and a group of vicious terrorists is even considered a Christmas film is, frankly, disgusting.

Well, sorry haters, but it turns out that Die Hard is actually part of a long tradition of non-conventional Christmas flicks – we have an extensive catalogue of Christmas Horrors for example, from Black Christmas in 1974 to Krampus in 2015. Christmas even makes its appearances in the most unlikely of plots: Terry Gilliam’s masterpiece Brazil, an Orwellian black comedy, is a prime example, as is the legendary crime thriller The French Connection. However, neither of these examples are considered Christmas movies (not even in the alternative or ironic sense), and rightly so. Christmas isn’t the focus of these films and is in fact used to highlight the darkness and evil of the stories it’s used in. That’s not very festive at all!

How Can a film Be Considered a True Christmas Movie Beyond the Mere Inclusion of the Holiday?

If we ignore the blatant capitalist message behind nearly every mainstream Yuletide film, we should consider the real message behind the original Christmas Story – The Nativity of course.

Pushing past the shepherds, kings and angels, Christmas is essentially the tale of light shining in the darkness, living in the hope of reconciliation and redemption. These are therefore the essential themes of any real Christmas film. Natalie Hayes of BBC Culture, in her article “The Magic Formula that Makes the Perfect Christmas Film”, noted that for a film to be considered a true Christmas movie, it must include the following elements: desire, a touch of magic, the value of family, and of course a dose of trial and tribulation for our heroes to overcome.

As hollow as some of these films seem to be to the lovers of a more Traditional Noel, the likes of Jingle All the Way do in fact meet these requirements, and with Die Hard being one of the most exceptional and beloved action movies of all time, it seems a very reasonable choice as a favourite Christmas film too. But what has come to my notice is the criminal overlooking of another alternative festive watch, one with striking similarities to Die Hard, released only a year prior: Lethal Weapon.

Like Die Hard, Richard Donner’s film meets the pre-requisites of a Christmas Classic and is again one of the most popular action movies from the 80s, likewise spawning an iconic franchise. Have we been duped all along with putting our money behind the inferior flick, or is Die Hard truly the superior of the pair? On the basis of which film boasts the truest Christmas Spirit, let us experience the most exciting of movie battles… Die Hard vs Lethal Weapon.

Desire

Is there an element of desire in these films? A want for something unattainable?

This is the first of the many uncanny similarities between Lethal Weapon and Die Hard, as both display a desire for a return to normality.

In Die Hard, John McClane (Bruce Willis) is flying to L.A from New York to see his wife Holly Gennaro (Bonnie Bedelia) on Christmas Eve, who works at the Nakatomi Plaza which is throwing a party. It becomes apparent that this is the first time John and Holly have seen each other in over six months and that they are more or less separated (especially as Holly is now going by her maiden name). It is revealed that Holly’s move to L.A. for a once in a lifetime promotion became a point of contention in their relationship – we don’t know exactly why, but it’s easy enough to make some assumptions: back in 1988, finding out that your wife is making more money than you would be an enormous shake up in the family dynamic, possibly too much for some men to handle. It is clear though, that although they are estranged, their marriage isn’t finished – Holly and John obviously still have feelings for one another, but it’s mixed in with a great deal of hurt, stopping them from seeing eye to eye. Thus we have the desire element: John wants a return to normality, the re-establishment of his traditional family set up (very nuclear, with the man being the breadwinner and all), but more importantly he desires to be a part of his family’s lives again.

Lethal Weapon has a more convergent plot than Die Hard.

It begins with the daily life of two LAPD police detectives – Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), a fairly buttoned-down distinguished officer who enjoys the comforts of marital and familial bliss (and is learning to try to age gracefully), and Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), a seemingly unattached man who is a total loose cannon on the job, wreaking havoc in his wake. The plot gleefully puts this odd couple together. It is Riggs who is the festive focal point of the movie as it his character that embodies the required desire element. Riggs’ careless and dangerous behaviour at work is suspected to be caused by suicidal tendencies after recently losing his wife in a car accident. There are occasions where it seems Riggs indeed wants to end his life, but this is actually more the desire to be reunited with his wife – the desire to be in a loving relationship again, the desire to have purpose.

It seems to be contradictory to the spirit of Christmas to have the film focus on the likes of depression and suicide, let alone in a film with probably the most insensitive approach to these topics, but that would be ignoring the fact that one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time, It’s A Wonderful Life, is about the divine intervention of an Angel working to stop a man from taking his own life on Christmas Eve. Die Hard is also depicting a common theme in Christmas fare, which is the impending breakdown of the family unit seen in the likes of The Preacher’s Wife and The Santa Clause. Technically both films are winning Brownie Points on that front, but the desire element is far more visceral in the case of Lethal Weapon: a shot of a teary-eyed Riggs shakily placing the end of the gun in his mouth after looking at the wedding photos of his dead wife is truly impactful.

Magic

The magic we could see in the likes of Die Hard and Lethal Weapon is not going to be in the traditional vein: no angels, no reindeer, no pixie dust, and very sadly no Santa Claus! That does not mean, however, that the magic they do have is not completely spine-tingling.

At first glance, the magic in Lethal Weapon is rather elusive, but it becomes apparent that the touch of Magic is indeed Martin Riggs, or really more Martin Riggs’ unorthodox policing methods:

“You’re not trying to draw a psycho pension! You really are crazy!”

In the real world, Riggs’ behaviour is not the kind to praise or laud, but Riggs’ apparent death wish makes him an almost unstoppable crime-fighting force – a lethal weapon. From deescalating a possible shootout by scaring the life out of a perpetrator, and saving a potential jumper’s life by throwing himself off the building whilst cuffed to them, it can be said Riggs gets the job done (in the most thoroughly entertaining way possible). However, his magical powers aren’t fully activated until he and Murtaugh are captured by the movie’s villainous drug barons – is it the electric shock torture or the power of new found friendship with Roger Murtaugh? Either way, Riggs is propelled into overcoming his captors and killing every bad guy that stands in his way, all in the name of rescuing his new partner. By the time we reach the climax, he is brutalised and half-drowned, yet he still manages to subdue the film’s Big Bad, Joshua (Gary Busey), by the power of his thighs alone. Magic.

With all that said, John McClane smirks and replies with a “Hold my beer.”

Die Hard is a more plot-driven story which lends itself to even more glorious action movie magic. It is made clear from the very beginning that McClane possesses the power of snarkiness, but the storming of Nakatomi Plaza by Hans Gruber’s (Alan Rickman’s) team of terrorists/thieves, catches McClane with his pants down (or rather with his shoes and socks off), leaving him to watch helplessly as the revellers of the office party are rounded up as hostages and Holly’s boss Mr Takagi (James Shigeta) is murdered. Luckily a present from Santa Claus re-establishes his cocky self-assuredness:

“Now I have a machine gun. Ho, ho, ho.”

In the 2 hour run-time, we witness McClane relentlessly wiggle his way out of tight squeezes using the meagre resources at his disposal (which he usually attains by annihilating some hapless bad guy), whether its irritating Gruber with smart-ass comments through a stolen walkie-talkie or tossing the body of a man out of the window in an attempt to attract help from the outside. It is once McClane manages to get the attention of the LAPD (the corpse-tossing worked a treat) that the real magic begins, which is the revelation that McClane is better than everyone else alive, including you – ironic given that he spent the first half hour desperately crying out for help.

Recommended for you: I’m a 90s Kid and I Watched Die Hard for the First Time This Year

John McClane resolves the terrorist siege single-handedly despite the presence of the LAPD, SWAT and the FBI; in fact McClane saves these apparent bozos from the machinations of the terrorists several times (whilst being mistaken as some sort of psycho killer to boot). Such a magical moment includes McClane blowing up a whole floor of terrorists (without miraculously harming any of the hostages), thus stopping their rocket launcher onslaught against the unsuspecting SWAT teams attempting to storm the plaza. Another noteworthy moment is when he rescues all the hostages from certain death seconds before some idiotic FBI agents unwittingly blow up a helipad they were gathered on (and as if saving countless lives isn’t enough, he narrowly escapes this chaos by leaping off the building with only a fire hose to save him from gravity).

It can’t be denied that the police politics of this 80s classic would be unnerving to modern eyes with its idolisation of McClane’s almost vigilante brand of justice, but with a healthy dose of self-awareness Die Hard is the ultimate power fantasy; one that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. The exact kind of magic that you would need and want at Christmas.

As a basic siege film, the physical dangers faced by John McClane in Die Hard are of a much greater intensity than that of the leading duo in Lethal Weapon: the action is non-stop and quick paced, and far more shocking and gory. However, whilst Die Hard is driven by its plot, Lethal Weapon is more character focused, and as a consequence the psychological hurdles presented in Lethal Weapon are much more immense than those seen in Die Hard, despite the huge amount of peril Holly and John McClane face.

The Value of Family

It is now time to consider how much family is valued in these films; starting with Die Hard…

Is this film not just a metaphor for marriage and the active battle that is maintaining such a relationship?

It has to be confessed that it’s not exactly hard to be initially disappointed by John when we first meet him. It appears he has let his fragile masculinity get in the way of his marriage as he struggles to cope with his wife’s flourishing career. But my goodness is this an incredible attempt at reconciliation; the man walks over broken glass barefoot for Christ’s sake!

As we all know, big grand gestures can often be empty and meaningless; it is changed behaviour that is the real apology. So what a brilliant way to finish off this metaphor with Hans Gruber being defeated by John and Holly working together; transforming their marriage into a partnership – a union of absolute equals. It earns their riding off into the sunset, entangled in each other’s arms, and so gives us that desired cosy Christmas feeling – excellent!

Lethal Weapon, by comparison, has no such romantic metaphor; it instead depicts the very real devastation caused by unimaginable loss.

Martin Riggs is a man who is constantly putting himself and others in danger through his reckless behaviour, as he is now without purpose. He does state that it is “the job” that has so far prevented him from eating one of his own bullets, but the way he achieves results still points to a blatant death wish.

It’s when the initially dubious Murtaugh begins to let his guard down and allows Riggs into his inner sanctum, inviting him into his family home, that we see a transformation in Riggs. For you see, the central criminal scandal of Lethal Weapon – ex Vietnam War Special Forces officers turned drug baron mercenaries – most deeply affects Murtaugh; he is the most entangled and has the most to lose from this situation. By actually giving Riggs a chance (whose life literally hangs in the balance if he can’t find a working partnership), Riggs no longer lives dangerously for the sake of trying to feel alive whilst consumed with grief, he instead directs all of his ferocity towards protecting Murtaugh and his interests; this deep sense of caring spreads to the wider community surrounding him, seen when he is willing to grapple in the mud with Joshua after he murdered his fellow officers.

Lethal Weapon, in the contest of greatest redemption arc, takes the victory: Riggs is quite literally pulled from the jaws of death by the power of found family through his partnership with Murtaugh – they even share Christmas dinner. This transformation from death to life proves that Lethal Weapon values family the greatest.

True Christmas films are affairs of great emotion, our heroes often go through hell to then be redeemed with the happiest of endings. This is true for both Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, but it is proven that Lethal Weapon boasts the most intense and emotionally driven Christmas tale of hope.

All you Die Hard fans may have to reconsider your all-time favourite Christmas film, but if you guys don’t change your mind, there is nothing but respect for you: Die Hard is pretty kickass.

Recommended for you: 10 Excellent Non-Christmas Films Set at Christmas

Frozen II continues to shine at the UK box office!

As we get closer to some of the biggest film releases of the year, with Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, Cats, Little Women and 1917 still to grace our screens, the UK box office continued to boom this week.

This was thanks in no small part to Frozen II which still stands strong in the top spot, taking another £4.3million this weekend (6-8th) alone and totalling in at a whopping £33.6million at the UK box office overall.

In contrast, the North American box office delivered a new record setter of a different kind with Playmobil: The Movie, the animated/live-action hybrid based on the popular toy brand, not dissimilar to that of The Lego Movie, being reported as the biggest US box office flop of all time; opening to more than 2,000 screens but only grossing £509,000 over its first three days of release. This brings the average takings per screen to the lowest number of all time for a wide release in North America and a certified box office bomb in the region.

Up and down the UK this week, cinemas have been showing traditional Christmas films for audiences of all ages to enjoy. Gremlins (1984) is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and thus getting multiple special screenings in cinemas to celebrate. Upon its original release, Gremlins opened as a box office hit, earning $12.5 million back in 1984, and still has fans worldwide today.

As well as Gremlins, other holiday classics such as; Elf, The Santa Clause, Home Alone and Miracle of 34th Street are showing all around the UK in the lead up to Christmas. Elf also made its way into the UK top ten this weekend, taking £148,489 – proving that the British audiences still love a classic Christmas flick.

Check your local cinema listings to see which of your Christmas favourites are showing near you!

“Les Miserables” live in concert was hugely popular with UK audiences too. The showcase of the sold out production from London’s West End earning a comfortable number 4 spot with an opening of £946,785, meanwhile number 11 in the UK Box Office this weekend was a celebration of 25 years of ‘Friends’; proving that it isn’t always high budget films that grab the biggest audiences.

The top 10 films at the UK Box Office for the weekend of 6-8th December 2019:

1. Frozen 2 (Walt Disney Studios) – 3 – £4,397,903 (£33.7m)
2. Knives Out (Lionsgate UK) – 2 – £1,637,525 (£6m)
3. Last Christmas (Universal Pictures) – 4 – £1,318,062 (£12.5m)
4. Event Cinema: Les Miserables (Universal Pictures) – 1 – £946,785 (£3.2m)
5. Blue Story (Paramount) – 3 – £378,589 (£3.7m)
6. Le Mans ’66 (Walt Disney Studios) – 4 – £184,898 (£5.6m)
7. Gremlins (4K) (Warner Bros.) – 1 – £162,528 (£163k)
8. Motherless Brooklyn (Warner Bros.) – 1 – £153,821 (£154k)
9. Elf (Park Circus) – 1 – £148,489 (£148k)
10. Charlie’s Angels (Sony Pictures) – 2 – £142,369 (£942k)

A new contender in the box office this weekend was Ed Norton’s crime thriller Motherless Brooklyn, which he both directs and stars in. Falling in nicely at number 8 in the top ten, grossing £153,821 in the UK against its US opening weekend $3.5mil, it’s safe to say that this one has had more appeal to US audiences – the film even being nominated for a Golden Globe.

This week is the first weekend since it’s release that Joker no longer graces the top 10, as it falls down to number 13 with takings of just £71,944 over the Friday to Sunday period.

The top 5 worldwide box office hits of 2019 to date: 

1. Avengers: Endgame (Walt Disney Studios) – 25th April 2019 – $2,797,800,564
2. The Lion King (Walt Disney Studios) – 19th July 2019 – $1,655,955,981
3. Spider-Man: Far From Home (Sony) – 2nd July 2019 – $1,131,928,519
4. Captain Marvel (Walt Disney Studios) – 8th March 2019 – $1,128,274,794
5. Toy Story 4 (Walt Disney Studios) – 21st June 2019 – $1,073,366,308

This weekend we see the release of the festive horror re-make Black Christmas, directed by Sophia Takal and starring Imogen Poots. Black Christmas follows a group of college students who find themselves caught up in a stalker situation during their Christmas break. All is uncovered when the sorority come together to discover the truth about their stalker. Undoubtably full of girl power moments, a bit of slapstick horror and jump scares galore, Black Christmas will likely be a hit with horror and Christmas fans alike. In cinemas from December 14th.

In a year where climate change is becoming the most important thing on everyones minds we are seeing lots of documentaries highlighting the wonders of our beloved Earth and this week’s next release is among them. Directed by Viktor Kosakovskiy, Aquarela makes its way into select cinemas this weekend. Opening on December 13th Aquarela showcases water and ice around the globe in its most powerful and mesmerising forms.

This week is a quiet one for box office openings with most studios looking to avoid 2nd weekend competition with Rise of Skywalker (released on the 18th), but hang on to your butts, because next week is a big one with exciting releases of some huge blockbusters, animated adventures and more.

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7 – Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Coming off the back of two huge superhero films (that will feature later in this list), excitement was running high for Favreau’s sci-fi western crossover, but it failed to deliver.

Despite featuring James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) as the main characters, Cowboys & Aliens suffered from a major case of the snores, for its plot was thin at best and the movie felt too slow. What’s more is that the action was hardly as entertaining and creative as was expected.

The film was void of real entertainment, and thus became a forgettable if not disappointing presentation of what seemed to be a cool idea.

6 – Iron Man 2 (2010)

The sequel to Marvel’s game-changing superhero action movie was another of Jon Favreau’s projects filled with promises that it simply did not deliver.

The casting of independent movie hero Sam Rockwell in one of the lead roles suggested that Iron Man 2 would further the franchise as a distinctive and memorable part of Marvel’s bigger picture, and the introduction of man-of-the-moment Mickey Rourke – who was fresh off his success in The Wrestler and in the midst of a resurgence – only boosted expectations further. Unfortunately for fans, Favreau, and all involved, Iron Man 2 was a bit of a dud.

It’s not that Iron Man 2 was bad, it’s more that it didn’t live up to expectations nor brought anything as fresh and interesting to the table as its predecessor did. We’ll chalk it up to the ‘studio intervention’ that forced Favreau to give up the gig before Iron Man 3.

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5 – Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)

Zathura belongs to a very particular type of film: the under-appreciated kid’s flick.

Managing a cast of children, not least 12-year-old Josh Hutcherson (of Hunger Games fame) and 15 year old Kristen Stewart (Twilight), can’t have been easy, yet Favreau still managed to prove that he was capable of directing a fantastical adventure movie that was, probably, a little bit before its time.

By no means was Zathura a masterpiece, but it was a lot of fun (especially for something based on a board game) and it really managed to showcase some of Favreau’s more creative talents with regard to CGI and special effects; each being key elements in his making of the Iron Man films.

4 – Made (2001)

At our halfway point is the film that introduced the directorial talents of Jon Favreau to the world.

Made, released in 2001, was one of that generation’s Favreau and Vaughn pics – the first being Swingers (1996) – and truly established Favreau as a noteworthy talent courtesy of its deep themes and dark humour.

What had made Swingers such a success was Favreau’s script that was unapologetically critical of the movie industry and self-conscious in its references, plot points, and so on. Made was along the same lines, with Favreau receiving a lot of praise for time-stamping the film courtesy of some excellent contemporary references. This of course leaves Made, much like Swingers, feeling dated, but it should certainly be acknowledged as a successful and important picture with regard to this director’s career.

3 – Chef (2014)

This movie about a chef who quits his job and moves to Florida to start his own business is another film, like Made, that is very of its time. In fact, the whole plot revolves around Twitter. But, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

What Chef does is tell a story of now… the contemporary west; the recession hit social-network-loving America… and yet still, somehow, it makes you smile.

Chef is arguably neglectful of the traumas that being of work has caused so many people living below the poverty line, and it worked almost exclusively to reinvigorate problematic dogma regarding heteronormativity, the white middle class, and capitalism.

It is a good watch with food, however, and doesn’t require deep thought if you’re unwilling to engage with it.

It’s tightly put together, with seemingly very little time wasted on filler material, and John Leguizamo (Ice Age) is a pleasure to watch, making this movie the bronze medal winner.

2 – Elf (2003)

5 Reasons ‘Elf’ Is a Gen-Z Christmas Classic

If ever there was a feel-good and funny Christmas movie, then Elf is it.

Perhaps the greatest Christmas movie of the 21st century, Elf has touched the lives of millions of young people around the world, and probably their parents a little too.

Filled with quotable lines, and featuring such a memorable performance from Will Ferrell in the lead role, Favreau’s 2003 picture is sweet, magical, and most importantly filled with Christmas spirit. It is undeniably one of the high points of the director’s career and certainly helped to open the door to his role as director for number one on this list…

1 – Iron Man (2008)

What Jon Favreau’s presentation of Iron Man did for Marvel can not be understated. The studio, not to mention the company, wasn’t performing very well after a string of less-than-impressive releases and ill-advised business decisions, but then Jon Favreau came along and changed everything… with a little help from Robert Downey, Jr. (and Kevin Feige) of course.

Iron Man was fresh. Its comedic tone and generally light-hearted take on superherodom was entirely the opposite of Christopher Nolan’s darker but equally as successful Batman movies, and the sarcastic charm of its resurgent star made for smirks and laughter throughout.

If ever there was a high point for Favreau’s directorial career it was here. Iron Man was truly a game-changing release that announced Favreau’s arrival as a tour de force in the industry for what will likely be many years to come.

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Make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

1. Always use a step ladder if you can’t reach to put the star on the top of the tree.

The sofa is not a proper springboard.

2. Never leave the tree lights on near your grumpy house cat.

You never know when your furry friend might be down to the last of his nine lives.

3. Not all presents are gender neutral.

While girls can like cars and boys can like Barbie dolls, and some grown men do like to dress up in women’s underwear, not all do! And it’s not really the best thing to get your Dad either!

4. Your true family are those who are there when you need them – not necessarily those you are related to.

5. Sometimes it’s best to stick to what you are good at, and leave Christmas to Santa and the Elves.

Don’t worry Jack, we’ll come back to you for Halloween.

6. All’s fair in love and war, and the pursuit of this year’s hottest Christmas present. 

7. Always buy your Christmas tree from a shop.

And if you insist on dragging your family out into the countryside with you to go and steal one, make you sure take a chainsaw or an axe or something it cut it down with!

8. Never leave your Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve!

Whilst it is a story line of many a Christmas film or sitcom Christmas special, leaving your shopping until Christmas Eve is never a good idea and results in anger and disappointment.

9. Always triple check the headcount before getting on a flight to another continent.

Because who knows what kind of mayhem will be wreaked in your absence.

10. Eat, drink and be merry! Spend the festive season with those nearest and dearest to you. Help those less fortunate and be thankful for everything and everyone you have.

Merry Christmas from all of us here at The Film Magazine!

By Kat Lawson