Highest Grossing Holiday Movies Ever (December 2025)
If anyone ever doubted it, holiday movies absolutely make a killing. If you’re still not convinced, look at Home Alone’s box office. That film took in an astounding $476.7 million in 1990, which, adjusted for inflation, is over $1 billion today. Here are the highest-grossing holiday movies ever.
What are the highest-grossing holiday movies of all time?
For this list, we researched which holiday films had the highest gross profits. Important note: these are exclusively holiday films through and through, not just less-traditional Christmas-set films. That means we didn’t include Die Hard 2 or Batman Returns on this list, though they did make bank.
We then looked at each film’s original gross, adjusted it for 2025 inflation, and reorganized the list accordingly.
Home Alone (1990)
Box Office:
- Original: $476.7 million
- Adjusted: $1.1 billion
One of the Christmas movies that makes everyone’s yearly watchlist, Home Alone tells the hilarious story of an often overlooked 8‑year‑old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), who feels completely at odds with his family. He accidentally gets left behind when his family jets off to Paris for the holidays. Unfortunately, a pair of burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) have been planning to rob the entire street, but have their eyes set on the McCallister house. Through one raucous Christmas Eve, Kevin must defend his suburban Chicago home using a series of ingenious traps.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Box Office:
- Original: $359 million
- Adjusted: $800 million
Once again directed by Chris Columbus, Kevin McCallister is sure he won’t be left home again this Christmas! This year, the family heads to Miami, but a little airport chaos causes Kevin to accidentally board the wrong plane. He winds up in New York City during the Christmas season, which is every kid’s dream. With his dad’s credit card in hand, he has the best New York experience anyone could have. Unfortunately, he soon crosses paths with the Wet Bandits once again.
The Grinch (2018)
Box Office:
- Original: $540.8 million
- Adjusted: $670 million
This animated adaptation from Illumination, directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney, brings Dr. Seuss’s classic tale to life with a star-studded voice cast, including Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character. The grumpy green Grinch plots to ruin Christmas for the cheerful citizens of Whoville, but his heart may grow a little after befriending young Cindy Lou Who.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Box Office:
- Original: $345.8 million
- Adjusted: $630 million
Directed by Ron Howard, this absolutely wild, chaos-infused live‑action version of Dr. Seuss’s story stars Jim Carrey as the Grinch, who lives atop Mount Crumpit and truly despises all things Christmas. As you might know from Grinch lore, the guy decides to steal Christmas from the festive Whos of Whoville.
The Polar Express (2004)
Box Office:
- Original: $315.2 million
- Adjusted: $520 million
This animated Christmas fantasy adventure is one of those films that can be a bit polarizing (no pun intended) to audiences, mostly because the animation makes the characters look almost too lifelike. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, The Polar Express tells the story of a young boy who has lost his Christmas spirit. He’s about to be in for the journey of a lifetime when a mysterious steam engine rolls up to his house on Christmas Eve, ultimately headed for the North Pole. Along the way, he learns about bravery, friendship, and the joy of believing. Make sure you stay through the credits to have Josh Groban absolutely rip your heart out — in a good way! — with the movie’s original song, Believe.
A Christmas Carol (2009)
Box Office:
- Original: $325.3 million
- Adjusted: $475 million
For Robert Zemeckis’ second directed entry on this list, Disney’s A Christmas Carol tells Charles Dickens’ classic story in a motion‑capture animation style. Jim Carrey stars in multiple roles, most importantly as Ebenezer Scrooge. As anyone might guess, Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future.
Love Actually (2003)
Box Office:
- Original: $245.2 million
- Adjusted: $420 million
It’s impossible not to make it through a holiday season without watching this one. Written and directed by Richard Curtis, Love Actually is a British ensemble romantic comedy that follows multiple, interwoven stories of love over the six weeks leading up to Christmas. This cast is stacked with heavy hitters in British film, including Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, and the absolutely legendary Bill Nighy.
The Santa Clause (1994)
Box Office:
- Original: $190.5 million
- Adjusted: $417 million
Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is a divorced father who accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall off his roof on Christmas Eve. He reads a card that prompts him to put on the suit, because the reindeer will know what to do next. With a little encouragement from his son, Scott puts on the suit only to discover that this makes him the new Santa through some kind of magical contract. There’s not much say in the matter, and over the next year, Scott slowly transforms into Santa Claus. His newfound belief in the magic of Christmas puts him at odds with his corporate job, his ex-wife, and her new husband, who think he’s losing touch with reality.
Elf (2003)
Box Office:
- Original: $225.1 million
- Adjusted: $380 million
Elf follows Buddy, a human who was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a baby and raised by Santa’s elves. Now fully grown and clearly not an elf, Buddy travels to New York City to find his real father, Walter Hobbs, a cynical children’s book publisher who doesn’t believe in Christmas. Or the fact that Buddy’s an elf. Still, it’s hard to put a damper on Buddy’s boundless cheer, which clashes hilariously with the real world. As Christmas approaches, Buddy (and Santa) contend with the consequences of people losing their holiday spirit.
The Holiday (2006)
Box Office:
- Original: $205.9 million
- Adjusted: $320 million
Two women — one in Los Angeles and one in England — have had enough of love. They need a break, and decide to swap houses for the Christmas season to escape these absolutely insipid men. Of course, love has a way of finding them, even when they’re trying to get away from it. But beyond the meet-cutes, there are some really great stories of friendship, solo journeys, and plenty of gumption. Directed by Nancy Meyers, The Holiday stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black.
Source: Comingsoon.net