With December fast approaching, it can mean only one thing: endless festive romcoms and specials being churned out like soylent green from Netflix and its competitors. This race for views is back on, and it’s seeing a four-way battle between different Christmas flicks of underwhelming quality for the number one spot.
Like a marathon taking place in the void, Christmas movies show no signs of stopping or taking a break. Since November began, Netflix has pumped out festive films but as it stands, The Noel Diary is winning the late November/early December charge. With over 36 million hours viewed, it sits at second spot.
But it’s far from finished, with three other movies which all sound fake finishing in top ten spots as well. These include (brace yourselves) Falling for Christmas, Christmas with You, and Christmas on Mistletoe Farm. If anyone could please explain to me which holiday these films are based around, that’d be much appreciated.
Collectively, these four films account for over 78,500,000 hours viewed on the streaming service between Nov. 21 to Nov. 27. Just like you’d imagine, they all look and feel exactly the same. Current leader The Noel Diary does boast a star of Smallville, with Justin Hartley playing the lead hunk.
The big question is who is actually watching all of these Christmas movies. Do people watch them back-to-back? Is there a horror-like following of the festive film genre? Are audiences actively anticipating each of these releases? It all feels like a big mystery, but well-worth noting Netflix seems to be adopting the Hallmark strategy of releases.
Hallmark, in 2022 alone, releasing more than 50 romantic comedies, with them typically ramping up towards the festive season as well. For the first 11 months of the year, they release one film a week. Netflix, there is your rival.
All the four festive flicks can be streamed on Netflix.