Why Hollywood Banks on Christmas: The 75-Year-Old Bet That Still Packs Theaters

When Paramount Pictures decided to release the comedy Road to Rio on Christmas Day, 1947, studio executives were nervous. Would a holiday premiere seem tasteless? Would it offend moviegoers? They shouldn't have been worried. The film was a smash hit, earning an impressive $4.5 million and kicking off a Hollywood tradition that has defined its financial strategy ever since.

While Christmas is a sacred holiday for many, the widespread closure of businesses creates a vacuum. With few stores open and other diversions hard to find, a trip to the movies becomes one of the only ways families can gather somewhere other than home. Some theaters report that business surges after 3 or 4 p.m., just as the presents are unwrapped and people with free time start looking for something to do.

The extended time off from work and school also gives films a chance to achieve “legs”—the ability to stretch their success over a longer period. While a blockbuster's fate is often sealed by its opening weekend, a holiday release can build momentum. For example, 2007’s P.S. I Love You opened with just $6.5 million but, thanks to steady business, ended up with $53.7 million by January. This trend holds true for the all-time greats as well. Of the five biggest box office hits ever—Avatar (2009), Titanic (1997), and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)—all were late-season holiday releases.

The season isn't just for blockbusters; it's also a prime launchpad for awards contenders. From 1986 to 2005, half of all Best Picture winners at the Academy Awards were released on or after December 15. That timing has shifted more recently. After the Oscars ceremony moved from March to February, studios began releasing their “prestige pictures” earlier, in October and November, to build awards buzz.

Of course, this Christmas strategy isn't universal. In China, theaters are packed during the Chinese New Year in late January or February. The French flock to cinemas over Labor Day weekend, while Russians prefer New Year's Day. For Japan, the prime movie-going window is the Golden Week holiday in late April and early May. But in every territory, the motive is largely the same: people need something to do with—or a way to briefly get away from—their family.