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Fans Are Debating Whether Or Not Batman Returns Is A Christmas Movie

Every year, the debate rages on about whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie. After all, there's no rule that says titles set around the holiday season need to be whimsical tales of family and friendship that rely heavily on the established iconography of Christmas in order to be counted as part of a subgenre that spawns countless new entries on an annual basis.

Batman Returns

Every year, the debate rages on about whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie. After all, there’s no rule that says titles set around the holiday season need to be whimsical tales of family and friendship that rely heavily on the established iconography of Christmas in order to be counted as part of a subgenre that spawns countless new entries on an annual basis.

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Technically, a Christmas movie is one where the festivities play a key part in the narrative, and given that John McClane only shows up at the Nakatomi Plaza after being invited to his estranged wife’s office Christmas party, Die Hard certainly fits the bill. However, for some reason, a lot of people seem to deny that action-orientated fare like John McTiernan’s classic, Richard Donner’s Lethal Weapon and virtually the entire filmography of Shane Black can truly be called Christmas movies.

Another unconventional topic to stir up the debate is Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, which despite being a Gothic superhero blockbuster features plenty of snow, lights, presents and Christmas trees all over the place. With Halloween now out of the way and the focus firmly on the holidays, the conversation has reared its head once again, and you can check out some of the reactions below.

Not every Christmas movie has to be a warm and fuzzy romance or comedy that celebrates all things festive, as viewers will once again find out next week when Mel Gibson’s R-rated Fatman arrives, and millions of people love to binge an alternative lineup that includes Die Hard, Lethal Weapon and, of course, Batman Returns. Tim Burton might be more closely associated with all things Halloween, but he also directed one of the best Christmas movies of the modern era.