Arnold Schwarzenegger set the template that all aspiring action heroes would follow in more ways than one, but perhaps the most noteworthy trail blazed by the legendary star was the one that’s made it an apparent obligation for any musclebound actor to lend their talents to at least one family-friendly comedy.
Sylvester Stallone, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, Dave Bautista and more have all done it, but none of them found as much success as the former Governor of California. Twins and Kindergarten Cop remain massively popular to this day, while no festive season is complete without an annual screening of Jingle All the Way.
Despite a lukewarm box office take of $129 million on a $75 million budget and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 17%, the Christmastime caper has become a staple of the viewing schedule despite its many shortcomings. Arnold’s Howard Langston needs a Turbo Man doll for his son, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get his hands on the must-have toy for children everywhere.
With Christmas just twelve days away, Jingle All the Way is in the midst of a major resurgence on streaming. As per FlixPatrol, the frothy caper is currently one of the ten most-watched titles on Hulu in addition to holding down a place in the Disney Plus Top 20, reinforcing that fans don’t care what the critics think.