The Weirdest, Wildest Movies to Ever Open on Christmas Day

As someone who has spent countless hours in theaters, I find it fascinating how film studios strategically release their movies during specific seasons. However, some choices, like Christmas Day releases for certain films, leave me scratching my head.

Christmas Day is consistently a prosperous period for both theaters and studios. Every year, people from various backgrounds flock to their local cinemas to watch new releases: some bring along big families excited to see family-friendly blockbusters, while others are younger audiences craving something gruesome as an escape from the joyful holiday atmosphere. Movies ranging from The Wolf of Wall Street to Sherlock Holmes to Django Unchained, and many more in between, have premiered on Christmas Day, often benefiting from this bustling movie-going day.

It’s astonishing to ponder that some films started their cinematic voyages on Christmas Day, even though it’s traditionally known for movie premieres. Titles like “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Nosferatu” prove that darker films can flourish as Christmas Day debuts, indicating that a movie’s tone doesn’t necessarily dictate its success during the holiday season. The reasons behind why the following seven movies are among the most unusual and hard-to-understand films ever released on Christmas Day involve numerous factors.

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

This year, the film “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem” predicted that there would be no tranquility on Earth this Christmas. This was significant because it marked the first time both the “Alien” and “Predator” franchises had a release during the holiday season. While each series had previously launched an installment around Thanksgiving, “Requiem” seemed an unlikely fit for Christmas at first due to its success on its opening day ($9.5 million). However, following its debut as one of America’s top three movies, it swiftly underperformed at the box office and was outshone by “I Am Legend” and “Sweeney Todd,” two other films catering to audiences seeking dark entertainment in December 2007. It appears that avoiding peace during Christmas wasn’t a financially wise decision.

The Postman

There’s nothing quite like the festive spirit evoked by Kevin Costner roaming through an apocalyptic landscape as a legendary mailman, and that’s exactly what “The Postman” (1997) aimed to deliver on Christmas Day. The film was hoping to replicate the success of previous holiday season hits starring Costner such as “The Bodyguard,” “JFK,” and “Dances with Wolves.” However, unlike these blockbusters, “The Postman” flopped at the box office, barely making it into the top ten on its opening weekend. If viewers were looking for an epic drama in December 1997, they chose to sail aboard the “Titanic” instead. Over time, “The Postman” has become such a popular target of ridicule that it’s easy to overlook its initial release date, which was quite promising.

47 Ronin

47 Ronin, directed by Carl Rinsch, wasn’t inherently a film that screamed “Christmas movie,” but Universal Pictures decided to release it on Christmas Day 2013 after repeatedly pushing back its initial 2012 and 2013 launch dates. Strangely, the marketing for 47 Ronin didn’t seem to take advantage of or even acknowledge this holiday release, which might explain why audiences largely ignored the film. It wasn’t a compelling Christmas movie choice nor an engaging alternative during the holiday season. Regrettably, this Keanu Reeves flick struggled in theaters and ultimately failed to thrive.

The Spirit

2005’s film adaptation of Frank Miller’s comic “Sin City” seems to have influenced the 2008 movie “The Spirit,” which Miller himself directed. Unlike “Sin City,” which premiered in early April with little competition, “The Spirit” came out on Christmas Day. Interestingly, despite its dark promotion and resemblance to the R-rated “Sin City,” “The Spirit” was released with a PG-13 rating in cinemas. As movies like “The Girl with Dragon Tattoo,” “Scream,” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” have shown, an R-rating is essential for success as alternative programming during the holiday season. Unfortunately, “The Spirit” has since developed a reputation as one of the poorest comic book adaptations ever made.

Galaxy Quest

Since three out of the initial six Star Trek movies were released during the holiday season, with two even debuting in December, it seems logical for a Christmas Day premiere of the Star Trek parody, Galaxy Quest. However, this lighthearted comedy somehow feels a bit out of place amidst traditional holiday enjoyments. Instead, it gives off the energy of a summer blockbuster rather than a holiday season favorite. Additionally, Galaxy Quest’s release on Christmas 1999 placed it against other family-friendly PG-rated movies from the same holiday season, like Toy Story 2 and Stuart Little.

The Darkest Hour

In a similar vein to the film “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem,” “The Darkest Hour” used a witty tagline on its poster to reference its Christmas Day release – “Survive the holidays.” This catchphrase encapsulated a movie that was unlikely to recoup its budget. Given the choice between watching invisible aliens causing 3D, PG-13 mayhem in Russia or spending quality time with family during the holiday season, many would opt for the latter. It’s puzzling as to why “The Darkest Hour” chose to debut on Christmas Day in 2011, given that alien invasion films have historically not fared well when released around this time of year.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Despite numerous Batman films hitting theaters over the past six decades, “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” remains the sole one that premiered on Christmas Day. Poor ticket sales may have discouraged any future Batman titles from releasing in late December, as was once a viable option for Warner Bros. executives. Back then, with Disney not releasing a new animated movie during Thanksgiving 1993, “Mask of the Phantasm” seemed like it could be the standout animated holiday movie.

Instead of succeeding in theaters due to an increased theater count and marketing efforts, the movie “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” failed. Family audiences showed little interest in the darker Batman story on the big screen when lighter films like “Mrs. Doubtfire” were popular. While grim-toned movies can work well for certain older audiences during Christmas, it was discovered that promoting such movies to children or families was a futile attempt with “Mask of the Phantasm”.

2024-12-27 00:10