Christmas 2018: Most popular movie Santa EVER revealed - guess who it is?
AS CHRISTMAS movies get dusted off in households all over the country, a new poll has revealed the most popular on-screen Santa of all time.
Miracle on 34th Street: Deaf girl scene
New research from NOW TV has found a very clear winner in the search for Tinseltown’s favourite Father Christmas. The survey of over 2,000 people resulted in the late Richard Attenborough being crowned the winner, with 43% of the vote. He, of course, played Kris Kringle in the Miracle on 34th Street remake in 1994.
Behind him in second place is Tom Hanks, whose motion-capture Santa from The Polar Express landed him 27% of the vote.
And Tim Allen from the iconic The Santa Clause took 22% of the votes to poll third.
Edward Asner of Elf came fourth with 20%, and David Huddleston’s incarnation from Santa Claus: The Movie rounds out the Top 5 with 19%.
Ken Hudson Campbell from Home Alone 2 comes in sixth place with 17%, and Jim Broadbent’s animated Santa from Arthur Christmas collected 15% of the votes.
Billy Bob Thornton is No8 for Bad Santa (14%) and The Nightmare Before Christmas’s Edward Ivory came ninth with 10%.
Finishing up the Top 10 is Jim Belushi from Jingle All the Way, receiving 9% of the votes.
Interestingly, Hanks’ Polar Express Santa was the winner among 18-24 year-olds, with Attenborough coming in fourth.
But among over 55s, Attenborough was the easy winner with 30%; putting Hanks in second with 16%.
The research also showed that more than half - 53% to be exact - of families said Miracle on 34th Street is the Christmas film they watch every single year over the festive period.
40% said it’s the first Christmas movie they remember watching, indicating it has a strong resonance on a nostalgic level.
In terms of what viewers look for in a movie Santa, younger viewers preferred a sense of humour; while over 50s favoured kindness, magic and the art of being jolly.
Christmas classics are streaming on NOW TV. The Smart Stick at Sky Cinema Pass bundles are available contract-free.