Tim Allen’s Forgotten 5% RT Christmas Movie Just Joined HBO Max (And It’s a Streaming Hit)

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Tim Allen has become known for his Christmas movies, starting with his popular role as Scott Calvin in The Santa Clause. He’s continued playing Santa in two sequels, and has also appeared in holiday specials like a Toy Story installment and themed episodes of other shows. While not every Christmas movie he’s made has been a critical success – some, like his 2000s films, only received a 5% approval rating from critics – they’ve recently found a new audience and are now popular on streaming platforms like HBO Max.

You know, as a total Christmas movie fanatic, I’m actually kind of fascinated by what people are watching right now. Apparently, everyone on HBO Max is watching Christmas with the Kranks! It’s that 2004 comedy with Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis where they try to ditch Christmas for a cruise, and things go hilariously wrong. It just landed on HBO Max after leaving Netflix, and it’s shot up to number two on their most-watched list – only beaten by Elf! Honestly, I always thought it was a pretty silly movie, but it’s doing better than classics like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and The Polar Express, even beating out something totally different like The Conjuring: Last Rites to round out the top five. It’s wild how much staying power that movie has!

Christmas With the Kranks Is a Streaming Success Despite Being One of the Worst Christmas Movies Ever

Few people enjoyed Christmas with the Kranks. The film was a major failure, earning only $96 million at the box office despite a $60 million production cost. Critics and audiences both gave it very poor reviews – just 5% and 40% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes. It frequently appears on lists of the worst Christmas movies ever made, even ranking as number one on Rotten Tomatoes’ list, which seems fair.

“Christmas with the Kranks” unfortunately doesn’t live up to the standard of a good holiday movie, despite its festive setting. It lacks the warmth and sincerity that make Christmas films special. The characters aren’t very developed and are often unpleasant, and the story focuses more on the Kranks’ anxiety about having a perfect Christmas than on the joy of the season. While the idea of a town reacting to a couple skipping Christmas is the basis for the humor, the neighbors’ over-the-top responses feel exaggerated and aren’t genuinely funny. Even a talented cast couldn’t make the movie work.

While Christmas With the Kranks isn’t a critically acclaimed film, its popularity on streaming services makes sense. Many people feel nostalgic for it, and it’s gained a dedicated following, particularly with recent conversations online that see the movie as a darkly funny or even frightening story about the pressures of Christmas traditions. Plus, it became available on HBO Max right when people were starting to watch lots of Christmas movies.

What’s New on HBO Max?

HBO Max has added a lot of new content this December. Starting December 1st, you can stream movies like Christmas with the Kranks, Miss Congeniality, The Goonies, and X-Men: First Class.

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2025-12-11 23:41