THE COST OF CHRISTMAS - CINEMATIC EDITION

Now I'm sure it will come as no surprise when I say that Christmas can be a very, very expensive time of the year because of the amount of presents, decorations, cards, and food, people generally purchase compared to other annual events. But did you know, that Christmas can cost more for families featured on film? So much so, in fact, that my mates over at Rated People have recently released a list of the top five most destructive Christmas movies of all time, 2020, based on the cost of repairing the damages sustained in each one. Want to know more? Then please check this out...

Die Hard (1988)

Director: John McTiernan / Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, and Bonnie Bedelia

Genre: Action-Adventure / Total Cost to Repair the Damages: £15,192,394

Synopsis: A lone NYPD cop tries to save his wife and several other hostages from a group of German terrorists who've kidnapped them during a Christmas office party.

Filmic Fact: Clint Eastwood was originally going to star in this film, not Bruce Willis, as Clint owned the rights to the novel it was initially based on, entitled, "Nothing Lasts Forever".

Gremlins (1984)

Director: Joe Dante / Stars: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, and Hoyt Axton

Genre: Horror-Comedy / Total Cost to Repair the Damages: £544,415

Synopsis: A small suburban town gets attacked by a horde of cruel creatures after they’re accidentally spawned from a pet mogwai. 

Filmic Fact: During pre-production, the studio suggested that the Gremlins be played by spider monkeys wearing suits because they would look more realistic than either puppets or stop-motion animation. But when this idea was eventually put to the test? Well, it was immediately scrapped as the monkeys went crazy and smashed up the director's office.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Director: Chris Columbus / Stars: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern

Genre: Family-Comedy / Total Cost to Repair the Damages: £217,730

Synopsis: A small child has to defend himself from two crooks after he’s been left stranded in New York City.

Filmic Fact: The character played by Joe Pesci in this film, Harry Lime, was named after the character Orson Welles played in the 1949 classic, ‘The Third Man’.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Director: Ron Howard / Stars: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, and Kelley

Genre: Fantasy / Total Cost to Repair the Damages: £152,815

Synopsis: Once upon a time, in the outskirts of Whoville, there lived a green, revenge-seeking Grinch who planned to ruin Christmas for all of the citizens, residing in the town nearby.

Filmic Fact: At one time or another, Eddie Murphy, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, and Tim Curry, were considered to play the part of The Grinch before it was eventually awarded to Jim Carrey.

Paddington (2014)

Director: Paul King / Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, and Julie Walters

Genre: Family-Adventure / Total Cost to Repair the Damages: £34,547

Synopsis: A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a new home, only to find himself lost and alone at Paddington Station. Well, that's until he meets a nice family who offers him a temporary place to stay.
Filmic Fact: The well-known car enthusiast, Jeremy Clarkson, owns the first Paddington Bear toy ever made because it was produced by his mother's company, 'Gabrielle Designs', which was the very first Paddington Bear licensee to create official Paddington Bear toys.

In closing, I would just like to thank Rated People for allowing me to include their research in this article, before encouraging you to check out their official Website, Facebook, and Twitter pages.