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A new study revealed Love Actually is the most searched Christmas movie in America. The study, conducted by QR Code Generator, analyzed Google search data from October 2024 to September 2025 for 120 Christmas movies across all 50 states to determine which festive films Americans are most eager to watch during the holiday season.

Love Actually secured the top spot with 359,835 monthly searches nationwide, more than 45,000 searches ahead of the second-place film. The 2003 romantic comedy starring a star-studded cast including Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, and Keira Knightley has maintained strong popularity despite being released over two decades ago.

Elf, starring Will Ferrell, claimed second place with 314,366 monthly searches. The comedy about a human raised as an elf at the North Pole continues to resonate with American viewers since its release in 2003.

The classic film It's a Wonderful Life ranks third with 233,768 monthly searches. This 1946 movie directed by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart has stood the test of time, remaining one of America's most beloved Christmas films.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation takes fourth place with 218,627 monthly searches. The 1989 comedy featuring Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold maintains its status as a holiday favorite across the country.

The Nightmare Before Christmas rounds out the top five with 200,762 monthly searches. This Tim Burton production blends Halloween and Christmas themes, appealing to fans of both holidays.

Bad Santa ranks sixth overall with 161,189 monthly searches, while Jingle All the Way, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, comes in seventh with 129,058 searches.

Grumpy Old Men, starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, places eighth nationally with 124,646 searches but ranks as the top Christmas movie in Minnesota and North Dakota.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) and Four Christmases complete the top ten with 119,846 and 104,921 monthly searches, respectively.

The study also analyzed which states show the most interest in Christmas movies based on search volume per 100,000 residents.

Utah tops the list with 1,575.87 searches per 100,000 population, showing the strongest interest in Christmas movies nationwide. The state particularly favors Love Actually with 142.32 searches per 100,000 residents.

Colorado follows closely in second place with 1,448.29 searches per 100,000 residents, while New Hampshire ranks third with 1,431.77 searches.

Vermont and Oregon complete the top five most Christmas-movie-obsessed states with 1,416.55 and 1,375.52 searches per 100,000 residents, respectively

Regional film preferences reveal state favorites

The data show interesting regional differences in Christmas movie preferences across states.

While Love Actually leads in 36 states, Elf takes the top spot in 12 states including Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, and Texas.

Grumpy Old Men ranks as the #1 most searched Christmas movie only in North Dakota, suggesting a unique regional preference for the 1993 comedy.

Minnesota also shows particularly strong interest in Grumpy Old Men, with 118.25 searches per 100,000 residents, second only to Love Actually in the state. This may reflect local pride, as the film is set in Minnesota.

Southern states show less interest in Christmas films

The study found that southern states generally show less interest in searching for Christmas movies.

Mississippi ranks last with only 764.45 searches per 100,000 residents, followed by Louisiana with 829.10 searches and Hawaii with 892.36 searches per 100,000 residents.

Alabama and Arkansas round out the bottom five with 949.57 and 958.85 searches per 100,000 residents respectively.

Christmas movie classics vs. recent releases

The data reveals that older Christmas films still dominate search interest compared to newer releases.

The oldest film in the top 10, It's a Wonderful Life (1946), still generates 233,768 monthly searches, outperforming many recent holiday releases.

Modern Christmas movies like Falling for Christmas (30,540 monthly searches) and The Christmas Chronicles (3,991 monthly searches) rank much lower despite their recent release and streaming platform promotion.

Marc Porcar, CEO of QR Code Generator PRO S.L, commented on the findings:

"These search patterns show how deeply classic Christmas movies are embedded in American culture. Films released 20 or even 75 years ago continue to attract significant interest during the holiday season. The strong regional differences we've identified also highlight how certain movies resonate differently across the country."

"What's particularly interesting is seeing how different regions have their unique favorites. The fact that a film like Grumpy Old Men ranks as North Dakota's top choice while barely making the top 10 nationally points to strong regional preferences that go beyond the mainstream hits."

Methodology

Data was gathered from Google Keyword Planner, which provides monthly and annual Google search volume for key phrases and terms across the US and for each state.
120 Christmas movie titles were used to source data from the past 12 months, including 'Love Actually' and 'Elf'.
The study analyzed search data across all 50 US states, calculating the average monthly search volume for each movie title and normalizing by population to identify state-level preferences.
Months Included in Analysis: 2024/10, 2024/11, 2024/12, 2025/1, 2025/2, 2025/3, 2025/4, 2025/5, 2025/6, 2025/7, 2025/8, and 2025/9