After the success of last year’s Falling for Christmas, Lindsay Lohan returned for Our Little Secret, above.Chuck Zlotnick/Netflix
When the Hallmark Channel unveiled a four-film Countdown to Christmas event 15 years ago, it’s likely no one predicted the festive phenomenon that would follow. Since then, the network has expanded to more than 30 Yuletide films a year – and cable competitors and streamers have entered the fray with their own holiday cheer that capitalizes on romantic stories of small towns and holiday magic.
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The formula is simple: An out-of-towner (or a woman home from “the big city”) meets a local, they bond over something holiday-related, external forces or a simple miscommunication throws everything into jeopardy and then they get together under the Christmas tree.
The fact that viewers know exactly what they’re getting is why the blueprint works. Most of the movies average an hour and a half. Many of the stars go from film to film. Every story has a happy ending. That combination makes for an easy, chill evening during an otherwise hectic season.
You’d think this year’s tally of 100-plus new entries into the genre would create fatigue, but viewers are gobbling them up faster than Santa’s cookies. In November, Hallmark was third behind Fox News and ESPN in primetime U.S. cable viewership, and it has been steadily gaining audiences since its countdown began on Oct. 18. According to the network, its holiday programming reached 22.1 million unique viewers as of that month.
The financial results are also impressive. The average Hallmark movie costs less than US$2-million and is filmed in about two to three weeks, often in Canada to take advantage of tax credits and other incentives. The network generates a third of its annual ad revenue from these movies, according to Forbes.
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It’s no wonder that other media outlets, in particular Netflix, are getting in on the spirit. Here in Canada, Corus Media’s W Network pulls Hallmark titles for its own Countdown to Christmas, which began in October. Super Channel has branded its holiday marathon Heart & Home Christmas. This winter it includes 21 movie premieres, 17 of which filmed in Canada. Prime Video also got into the romance game this year with The Holiday Exchange, a loose LGBTQ+ remake of The Holiday.
Over at Netflix, the streamer has been quietly increasing its Hallmark-inspired seasonal originals since 2017, when it premiered A Christmas Prince. Since then its has expanded those titles into something called the Netflix Holiday Movie Universe, with Easter eggs and subtle nods connecting the films. Meanwhile, it’s also started adding actual Hallmark movies to its U.S. catalogue. (Many of those same titles are available to stream in Canada on StackTV.)
In Hot Frosty, Dustin Milligan (above) stars as Jack Snowman, a chiselled snowman that comes to life to help a grieving widow get her groove back.Petr Maur/Netflix
Its big original holiday hit for 2024 is Hot Frosty, which rose to the top of the streaming charts after its Nov. 13 release with 16 million views. The self-aware rom-com is about a chiselled snowman that comes to life to help a grieving widow get her groove back. Canadian actor Dustin Milligan of Schitt’s Creek, who has had a bit of a glow-up since his 90210 days, plays the stud in question. But it’s Lacy Chabert’s casting that created buzz this year among Christmas movie aficionados.
With more than a dozen titles under her Santa hat, Chabert is considered Hallmark’s Queen of the Holidays. She starred in last year’s top-rated film, A Merry Scottish Christmas, opposite Scott Wolf, and in 2022 signed a two-year multipicture deal with parent company Crown Media Family Networks. But with that contract ending – and an ex-casting director alleging in a lawsuit against the channel that it is phasing out “older stars” such as Chabert and Holly Robinson Peete – she could be ready for a permanent jump.
For now, the streamer is banking on its own system of stars, including Lindsay Lohan. After the success of last year’s Falling for Christmas, she returned for Our Little Secret, opposite Ian Harding and Kristin Chenoweth.
Netflix’s other two holiday rom-coms for 2024 are Meet me Next Christmas and The Merry Gentlemen. While that’s nowhere near the output of Hallmark, these films and the Netflix Holiday Movie Universe prove that the streamer is just getting started on wrapping up romance.