What are the best movies released on Christmas Day? In recent years, December 25 movie releases have become more and more popular, as millions of movie goers seek peace on Earth in quiet movie theaters, away from the hustle, bustle and crazy relatives. Yes, a Christmas Day movie is becoming a huge tradition for many. Major movies are often released around Christmas, but which ones were actually released on the holiday itself? This list includes some of the biggest films that came out on Christmas, so vote for your favorites and vote down any movies you didn't like.
The tradition of major films being released on or around Christmas day really kicked into high gear in the 1990s. Prior to this, a handful of big films had December 25 release dates, but usually only if that date fell on a Friday. Still, going back a few decades, one can find some incredibly brilliant Christmas day film releases, including To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Sting (1973), and Empire of the Sun (1987).
Just because a film is released on Christmas Day, doesn't mean it has a holiday feel-good theme. In fact, it may be just the opposite. Perhaps distributors realize that some people are totally burned out on the whole holiday warm and fuzzy stuff by Christmas night? Films like Children of Men, Hoffa, and The Godfather Part III all came out on Christmas Day -- all decidedly non-joyous flicks.
The gifts are opened, the food's been consumed and the football's been watched. What else to do? Sit in a nice, dark theater, sneak in some of the candy Santa brought you, and kick back with a great Christmas Day movie release, of course. Ho ho ho!
118564Children of Men
Julianne Moore, Clive OwenReleased: 2006
Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
213150The Aviator
Kate Beckinsale, Leonardo DiCaprioReleased: 2004
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
![Tombstone]()
316553Tombstone
Val Kilmer, Kurt RussellReleased: 1993
Directed by: Kevin Jarre, George P. Cosmatos
![Sherlock Holmes]()
414466Sherlock Holmes
Robert Downey Jr., Jude LawReleased: 2009
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
![War Horse]()
55563War Horse
Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom HiddlestonReleased: 2011
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
![To Kill a Mockingbird]()
617451To Kill a Mockingbird
Robert Duvall, Gregory PeckReleased: 1962
Directed by: Robert Mulligan
![The Curious Case of Benjamin Button]()
710267The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Brad Pitt, Cate BlanchettReleased: 2008
Directed by: David Fincher
![The Talented Mr. Ripley]()
811661The Talented Mr. Ripley
Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate BlanchettReleased: 1999
Directed by: Anthony Minghella
![The Thin Red Line]()
913162The Thin Red Line
George Clooney, John TravoltaReleased: 1998
Directed by: Terrence Malick
![The Sword in the Stone]()
1016942The Sword in the Stone
Alan Napier, Sebastian CabotReleased: 1963
Directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman
![Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close]()
114261Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Sandra Bullock, Tom HanksReleased: 2011
Directed by: Stephen Daldry
![The Sting]()
1215749The Sting
Paul Newman, Robert RedfordReleased: 1973
Directed by: George Roy Hill
![Catch Me If You Can]()
13174111Catch Me If You Can
Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprioReleased: 2002
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
![As Good as It Gets]()
1410657As Good as It Gets
Jack Nicholson, Helen HuntReleased: 1997
Directed by: James L. Brooks
![The Illusionist]()
156661The Illusionist
Tom Urie, Raymond MearnsReleased: 2010
Directed by: Sylvain Chomet
![It's Complicated]()
164355It's Complicated
Meryl Streep, Oprah WinfreyReleased: 2009
Directed by: Nancy Meyers
![Django Unchained]()
17185134Django Unchained
Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry WashingtonReleased: 2012
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
![Gulliver's Travels]()
182757Gulliver's Travels
Emily Blunt, Jack BlackReleased: 2010
Directed by: Rob Letterman
![Empire of the Sun]()
198052Empire of the Sun
Christian Bale, Ben StillerReleased: 1987
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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2825Marley & Me
Owen Wilson, Jennifer AnistonReleased: 2008
Directed by: David Frankel
![Jackie Brown]()
215855Jackie Brown
Robert De Niro, Samuel L. JacksonReleased: 1997
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
![Galaxy Quest]()
229042Galaxy Quest
Sigourney Weaver, Alan RickmanReleased: 1999
Directed by: Dean Parisot
![The Jungle Book]()
236482The Jungle Book
Lena Headey, John CleeseReleased: 1994
Directed by: Stephen Sommers
![Magnolia]()
248760Magnolia
Tom Cruise, Julianne MooreReleased: 1999
Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
![The Bucket List]()
256789The Bucket List
Jack Nicholson, Morgan FreemanReleased: 2007
Directed by: Rob Reiner
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