COLUMBUS — With the holiday season in full swing over the coming weeks, there are sure to be several Christmas movie marathons for viewers to follow. But what Christmas movies are the favorites of Ohioans?
To do this, BetOhio.com used Google Trends to analyze the most popular Christmas movies among Ohio residents by looking at the search results in Ohio of the Top 40 most popular Christmas movies over the holiday seasons.
What to Know About Ohio’s Holiday Movie Favorites
As the data shows, Ohio loves the classics, with four of the Top-5 movies being 19 or more years old and three of the movies over 30 years old, but still holding water in the Buckeye State.
“Home Alone,” the original that was released in 1990, is tied for Ohio’s top-ranked Christmas movie. The film was ranked the No. 31 Christmas movie of all time by Vulture.
Sharing the throne in Ohio is “The Grinch,” a 2018 animated film that produced over $500 million at the box office. It was named the Best Movie for Families in the Movieguide Awards.
“A Christmas Story” (No. 3) has a special Ohio connection. Despite being set in Indiana, the movie’s house is located in the West Side Cleveland neighborhood of Tremont. The property was bought in Cleveland in 2004 and opened in 2006 as a museum, serving as a popular tourist attraction for cinema fans as the A Christmas Story House.
In November, 3News in Cleveland reported the house was for sale. Jeff Gillen, who played Santa Claus in the movie, was an Ohio native. In a November list of the Top-45 Christmas movies of all time by Vulture, “A Christmas Story” was named the No. 5 Christmas movie of all time.
“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” released in December 1989 by Warner Brothers, earned 18% of interest in Ohio, claiming the No. 4 spot. It was the third edition of the National Lampoon’s Vacation series after “National Lampoon’s Vacation” in 1983 and “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” in 1985.
In the movie, Beverly D’Angelo plays Ellen Griswold, the wife of Clark Griswold (played by Chevy Chase). D’Angelo is a Columbus, Ohio, native who attended Upper Arlington High School. Her grandfather, Howard Dwight Smith, designed Ohio Stadium, also known as “the Horseshoe.” Miriam Flynn, who plays Cousin Catherine in the movie, is from Cleveland.
Rounding out the Top-5 is Will Ferrell’s “Elf” — one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time and of the 21st Century. “Elf” won the 2004 ASCAP award for Top Box Office Film and the 2004 Golden Trailer award for Best Comedy.
“Elf” was named the No. 27 most popular Christmas Movie by Vulture.
