Poll reveals whether Die Hard is or isn’t a Christmas film

It’s been a hotly debated topic for 37 years: Can Die Hard really be considered a Christmas movie?

Now a new survey hopes to finally reach a definitive position, and the answer is a resounding ‘No’.

Almost half (44 per cent) of Brits said Die Hard, the action thriller starring Bruce Willis, was not a Christmas movie despite being set during the festive season.

But one in 20 (5 percent) of those surveyed said it was their favorite Christmas movie, while 17 percent were undecided.

British film lovers have decided McCauley Culkin’s Home Alone is the country’s favorite Christmas film, according to the poll, alongside a long-running debate over the violent hostage movie.

At the top of the list was the 1990 American comedy, while the 2003 British romantic comedy Love Actually, starring Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant, came in second.

It was followed by the 1946 James Stewart classic It’s A Wonderful Life in third place, and Elf, released in 2003, in fourth place.

A survey of 2,000 people in the UK by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) found that 17 percent of people said they did not have a clear favourite.

Macaulay Culkin (pictured) plays Kevin McCallister in Home Alone, voted by one in five Brits as their favorite Christmas movie

The survey found that one in five (20 percent) voted Home Alone as their favorite Christmas movie, while nearly one in 10 (9 percent) chose Love Actually, 8 percent chose It’s a Wonderful Life and 7 percent chose Elf.

More than two in five (43 percent) think the most acceptable time to start watching Christmas movies is from the beginning of December; 13 per cent say it is from the beginning of November, and nearly one in 10 (8 per cent) admit to enjoying festive films all year round.

More than half of the survey participants (53 percent) said that they pay attention to the age limit when choosing a movie to watch as a family during the holidays; The BBFC said this shows responsible, age-appropriate viewing remains an important part of festival film nights.

David Austin, chief executive of the BBFC, said: ‘With Home Alone crowned the UK’s favorite Christmas film, our latest research reveals heart-warming, family-friendly stories continue to be at the heart of the nation’s Christmas viewing traditions.

‘BBFC is committed to providing age ratings and content recommendations to help every household make confident viewing choices this festive season.’

Tim Richards, founder and managing director of cinema chain Vue, said: ‘Many of our customers see heading to the big screen over the holidays as a chance to sit back, switch off and enjoy great stories together – whether it’s a much-loved classic like Home Alone, the high-energy fun of Die Hard, or a brand new film like Gurinder Chadha’s Christmas Karma, Wicked or Avatar.

‘Cinema has always brought people together and Christmas reminds us how powerful this shared experience can be.’