How does Hollywood pick holiday blockbusters?

The Boston Globe · Odie Henderson · 2026-11-06 10:30 UTC

As we bear down on DunesDay, a look back at which movies have gotten the coveted holiday release.

When Hollywood schedules a movie to be released for the Fourth of July, it’s usually a wannabe summer blockbuster. You can thank Will Smith for that. But when it comes to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons, the selections take some weird turns.

Movies about these seasons, especially Christmas, have been relegated to streaming and the Hallmark channel. What we’re left with is a head-scratching, seemingly random idea of what Hollywood thinks you want to see after the dinner table is cleared. Your cinematic holiday memories will be made with some strange choices.

For example, the disastrous Jack Black giant killer snake reboot, “Anaconda,” opened during Christmas week last year. In 2024, it was the mediocre Robert Eggers remake of “Nosferatu.” Eggers also has a monster movie opening on Christmas this year, “Werwulf.” It appears that Hollywood believes you want to see something scary on St. Nick’s big day, instead of on Halloween.

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