Contents

• Most searched classic Christmas movies [Map]
• Interesting findings
• Methodology
• About
• Most searched classic Christmas movies [Table]

During Christmas movie season, most of the country watches the same set of titles for a month—and watches them again the next year, and the one after that. Even awards season can’t generate that kind of audience. And it definitely can’t radiate Christmas spirit.

With all those repeat viewings, it doesn’t take long for a good Christmas movie to become a classic. The team at CenturyLinkQuote wanted to see which ones were on your minds this year, so we scoured the internet to find out and dropped the data into a cheery Christmas map.

Notice any you haven’t seen yet? This could be your year to try them out. Find the classics and other Christmas movies to watch on your favorite online streaming service.

Most searched classic Christmas movies [Map]

Interesting findings

• Elf emerged as this year’s most searched Christmas movie, leading the charts in seven states. In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the film is being re-released in theaters.
• A three-way tie for second place ensued, with The Nightmare Before Christmas, Four Christmases, and Love Actually each claiming the spotlight in five states. Nightmare Before Christmas may have even more staying power in the holiday season because of its appeal at both Halloween and Christmas.
• The debate over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie rages among the general population, but the film authorities IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes have spoken: it is.
• Only two of these titles seem like Christmas movies made for kids: The Polar Express and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Both are based on children’s books.
• Geographical ties are evident in the preferences of some states.
  • New York leans toward Home Alone, which has a sequel set in NYC. The film also narrowly edged out Elf for the top search spot.
  • Indiana favors A Christmas Story, set in Hohman, Indiana.
• Many of the best Christmas movies had drama behind the scenes too:
  • It’s a Wonderful Life, now a beloved classic, was originally a box office fail. 
  • Will Ferrell, who played Buddy the Elf, suffered from headaches and nausea during the filming because he had to eat so much sugar.
  • According to The Nightmare Before Christmas’s supervising animator Eric Leighton, the film was shot at 24 frames per second, meaning the characters had to be posed 24 different times for each second of the film.
  • The movie Angels with Filthy Souls, referenced in the famous Kevin McAllister line, “I’m eating junk and watching rubbish,” doesn’t exist in the real world. The filmmakers created this movie within a movie just for Home Alone.
  • Home Alone features two clips from other classic Christmas movies on our list: Miracle on 34th Street, which plays in the background when Kevin discovers he’s home alone, and It’s a Wonderful Life, which the cousins watch at their uncles’ house in France.
  • In The Polar Express, Tom Hanks not only voiced the conductor but also provided the motion-capture performance for several other characters, including the boy and the hobo.

Methodology

First, we gathered a list of 50 of the best Christmas movies according to IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes scores and pop culture lists by Screen Rant, Time Out, and Town & Country Magazine. Then, we used Semrush to determine the top 18 movies with the highest search volume in the last 12 months and plugged them into Google Trends to analyze the results by state. Seventeen films were searched more than any other in at least one state.

About

CenturyLinkQuote is an authorized sales agent of CenturyLink products. For media inquiries, please contact media@centurylinkquote.com.

Most searched classic Christmas movies [Table]

Contents

• Your state’s most googled tearjerker movie [Map]
• Interesting findings
• Why do you watch romance movies that will make you cry? [Live poll]
• Methodology
• About
• Your state’s most googled tearjerker movie title [Table]

Tragic, tearjerker romance movies—we wish we knew how to quit you.

Sad love stories make the heart go on for all sorts of reasons: the release of a good cry, the hope of finding love IRL, or the comfort of surviving fictional heartbreak and moving on tomorrow. (What’s your reason for watching sad romance movies? Take our live poll below.)

With the 25th anniversary re-release of Titanic in 2023, our team wanted to learn which other tearjerker movies still make America pull out the tissues—and do online deep dives because they can’t get enough. Check out which sad romance movie had your state by the keyboard last year, and gather ideas for movies to watch on Valentine’s Day.

Your state’s most googled tearjerker movie

Interesting findings

• Titanic smashed into film history like a massive iceberg, and the American internet never stopped talking about it. About half the country, i.e., 23 states, still type it into Google more often than other tearjerker movies.
  • After releasing in 1997, Titanic became the first-ever film to pass a billion dollars in gross revenue, bringing in an estimated $2.2 billion worldwide. It remained the highest-grossing film of all time until Avatar surpassed it in 2010.
  • When production began in 1995, Titanic was the most expensive film ever made at a budget of $200 million.
  • The film received 14 Academy Award nominations and won 11. 
• My Girl takes the top spot in 7 states’ Google histories, making it the second most searched tearjerker movie by state. The film’s title references the Temptations’ 1964 single of the same name, which is featured in the movie credits.
• Ghost took the lead in 6 states’ search histories. It may not have the epic, historical realism of Titanic, but you never really forget the pottery scene.
  • Earning $505 million domestically against an estimated budget of $22 million, Ghost topped the domestic box office in 1990, and for a time sat at number 3 on the all-time American box office list.
  • Ghost won 2 of its 5 Academy Award nominations.
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, googled most in 5 states, has the highest critical rating of any movie on our list.
  • Critics give Eternal Sunshine a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.3/10 on IMDb, and the film has gained a cult following since its release in 2004.
  • Kate Winslet received an Oscar nomination for best actress, and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman won the Oscar for best original screenplay.
• 500 Days of Summer was searched most in 3 states. The film received 58 total award nominations and 17 wins.

Why do you watch romance movies that will make you cry?

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Methodology

First, we compiled a list of 64 popular sad movies using Teen Vogue, Glamour, and IMDb keyword search. We then ranked each movie by total search volume in the past year using SemRush, an online marketing tool. Finally, we used Google Trends, a tool analyzing online search patterns, to find the popularity by state of the 12 highest-ranking titles on our list. We gathered this data in November 2022.

About

CenturyLinkQuote is an authorized sales agent of CenturyLink products. 

For media inquiries, please contact media@centurylinkquote.com.

Your state’s most googled tearjerker movie [Table]

Even when a movie falls short of the best practices in storytelling, it can provide endless entertainment—and even become a cult classic.

Take The Room, for example. Even with an IMDb rating of 3.6 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 26%, the film gained such a following that James Franco made a movie about the director in 2017. People still stream the movie on their home internet connection or pay to see the original in theaters—where they throw popcorn and yell “You’re tearing me apart, Lisa!” along with Tommy Wiseau.

We were curious about which Razzie-worthy movies captivated Americans most in 2023, so we took a peek in Google Trends. Check out what we found.

Which low-rated movie does your state google most?

Interesting Findings

• The Cats movie remake took the top spot for low-rated movies on our list, with eight states googling it most in 2023.
  • Despite its low critical rating, the Cats movie had a $95 million production budget and featured a star-studded cast including Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, and Taylor Swift.
  • The movie won six Razzie Awards in 2020, including Worst Picture.
• These low-rated films earn an average IMDb rating of 3.0 and an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 11%.
• Of all the movies on our list, Disaster Movie has the lowest IMDb score of 1.9. The highest-scoring movie, The Room, rates 3.6 on IMDb.
• 365 Days is the only low-rated movie on our list with a 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.
• Catwoman, which tied with Crossroads and 365 Days for second most searched in American states, made Halle Berry one of only six actors in history to win both an Oscar and a Razzie.
  • In 2002, she won best actress at the Academy Awards for Monster’s Ball. To this day, she’s the only Black actress to receive this award.
  • In 2005, Berry was awarded a Razzie for Worst Actress for Catwoman. She accepted the award in person.
• Out of all the movies on our list, Jack & Jill has the most Razzie Awards with 10 total wins.
• Four movies on our list won Worst Picture at the Razzies: Cats, Catwoman, Jack & Jill, and Gigli.
• After meeting for the first time while filming Gigli, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez won a Razzie for Worst Screen Couple in 2005. The title couldn’t stop Bennifer’s real-life romance, however, which was recently rekindled after 20 years of separation.
• Captain America (1990), which was released before the days of Marvel mania, carries a 3.2 IMDb rating and a 13% Rotten Tomatoes score.
  • Its most recent counterpart, Captain America: Civil War (2016), has a 7.8 IMDb rating and a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Methodology

First, we compiled a list of the lowest-rated movies of all time using data from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. Then, we analyzed the Google Trends data to determine which low-rated movie is most googled in each state.

About

CenturyLinkQuote is an authorized sales agent of CenturyLink products.

For media inquiries, please contact media@centurylinkquote.com.

Contents

• Top internet trends of 2022
• Top internet trends of 2021
• Top internet trends of 2020
• Methodology
• About
• 2020-2022 Trends Table

In life the only constant is change—and that’s especially true on the internet, where TikTok and other social media trends catch fire, burn bright, and burn out at a quick pace.

But some internet trends keep their spark in public memory for months, even years. Humanity hasn’t exactly put its finger on why, either. It’s a question we’ve been asking since the internet’s first viral video.

Will people even remember the name Eddie Munson next year, let alone his luscious locks? Will the corn song drive us wild for different reasons in 2023? Before it all feels unbearably old fashioned, take a minute to cherish some of the biggest trends that united internet citizens in a notoriously difficult time.

Top internet trends of 2022

Top internet trends of 2021

Top internet trends of 2020

Methodology

To identify online trends from the last 3 years, we searched topics and hashtags on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter that gained massive social engagement within a short period. To confirm the timing and intensity of the trends we chose, we also analyzed their web traffic using Google Trends. We gathered this data in November 2022.

About

CenturyLinkQuote is an authorized sales agent of CenturyLink products.

For media inquiries, please contact media@centurylinkquote.com.

Year in Review: Online Trends 2020-2022

Contents

• Most searched ’90s Christmas movies by state [Map]
• Interesting findings
• Methodology
• About
• Most searched ’90s Christmas movie by state [Table]

Every holiday season, TV studios and internet streaming platforms release a sleigh-full of new Christmas movies. But the films with wider theatrical releases, designed to make the creators millions at the box office, tend to stay in the public eye for decades afterward.

We might be biased, but the ’90s turned out some truly enduring Christmas classics that our team returns to over and over. And we bet your family does too.

Below, please enjoy our second annual report on some of the best ’90s Christmas movies in America and which states searched them most in the last 12 months. If you’re up for it, vote in our poll too—our report next year just might include your answers.

Most searched ’90s Christmas movies by state [Map]

Interesting findings

• This year, the ’90s Christmas classic The Santa Clause ranks first on our list, with 12 states googling it most. In last year’s report, it ranked third.
• The sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, ranks second with 10 states googling it most—a huge jump from last year, when only one state searched it most.
  • This year, the sequel beat both Home Alone and Home Alone 3, which rank sixth and tenth respectively.
  • Macaulay Culkin made $4.5 million for his portrayal of Kevin McAllister, earning the biggest salary of any 11-year-old child actor at the time.
• For the second year in a row, Illinois researched the original Home Alone more than any other ’90s Christmas movie.
  • Even though the movie premiered 32 years ago, the McAllisters’ iconic brick home in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka remains a popular tourist attraction.
  • Last year, Home Alone was the most common response to our poll about which movies our readers would watch that season. The movie took 25% of the total vote and beat out 12 other titles for the honor.
• Jingle All the Way, featuring ’90s icons Schwarzenegger and Sinbad, hovers at a respectable middle ground with 7 states googling it most. Last year, it had the attention of 9 states.
• Christmas themes and narratives are adapted again and again, as evidenced by three titles on our list: the Nutcracker, Silent Night, and Home for the Holidays each has a long IMDb list of TV shows, short films, and theatrical releases under the same name.
• Two highly popular remakes also made our list: Miracle on 34th Street (1994) and Christmas in Connecticut (1992).
  • The original Miracle on 34th Street premiered in 1947 and starred Natalie Wood as the skeptical 6-year-old Susan Walker.
  • The 1994 remake starred Mara Wilson of Mrs. Doubtfire fame.
• The Nightmare Before Christmas, the most critically acclaimed movie on our list, has a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s also the 4th most searched Christmas movie by state.
• Mixed Nuts, on the other hand, has the lowest critical score on our list with a 13% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was searched most by just one state this year—perhaps West Virginians have a soft spot for Steve Martin and Nora Ephron.

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Methodology

First, we gathered a list of 60 Christmas movies from the 1990s by referencing publications including ScreenRant, Ranker, Bustle, and PopSugar. We then used Semrush to determine which 15 movies had the most overall search volume. Finally, we plugged those 15 titles into Google Trends and ranked them by state search volume in the last 12 months.

About

CenturyLinkQuote is an authorized sales agent of Centurylink products.

For media inquiries, please contact media@centurylinkquote.com.

Most searched ’90s Christmas movie by state [Table]

Contents

• Methodology
• Generational gaps and overlaps in recognizing pop music [Infographic]
• Interesting findings
• About

When it comes to generational gaps in society, music divides us pretty consistently. Older generations tend to say things like, “back in my day,” followed by a list of complaints about current pop music. The youngest tend to scoff and put their earbuds back in.

But these days, listeners young and old have more in common than they think. Online streaming reigns, but CDs and vinyl sales trend upward for the first time in 25 years. TikTok songs go viral at the drop of a hat, some by today’s pop darlings and others by nostalgic pop music artists that the Gen Z user base wouldn’t hear otherwise.

Our team couldn’t resist exploring these contradictions, so we surveyed two of the most talked-about generations today—Zoomers and Boomers—on what they think of each other’s music. Here’s what we found.

Methodology

First, we referenced the Billboard Hot 100 charts and hand-selected 5 pop hits from each of three eras—the 1960s–1970s, the 1980s–1990s, and the 2010s–now.

We then played clips of these songs for 500 American Baby Boomers (ages 54+) and 500 American Gen Zers (ages 16–24) on Pollfish, asking about their familiarity with each one.

Baby Boomers heard 5 songs from the 2010s and 2020s, Gen Z heard 5 songs from the 1960s and 1970s, and both groups heard the same 5 songs from the 1980s and 1990s. We gathered this data in August 2022.

Generational gaps and overlaps in recognizing pop music [Infographic]

Interesting findings

Zoomers on pop hits from the ’60s and ’70s

• TikTok songs know no generation, apparently—88% of Gen Z recognizes “More Than a Woman” by the Bee Gees, and 40% of that group say they heard it on social media. A further 16% say they’re obsessed with the song.
• The 1960 pop hit “The Twist,” recognized by 65% of Gen Z, ranked #1 on the Billboard Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Songs when the chart was first published in 2008. The song stayed at #1 until 2021, when it was dethroned by The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.”
• Despite the popularity of Baz Luhrmann’s film Elvis this year, only 59% of Gen Z recognize the song “It’s Now or Never” by Elvis Presley.
  • The song is also the most strongly disliked by Gen Z—16% hate this style of music and would listen only if forced.
• 36% of Gen Z doesn’t recognize “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the beloved Beatles—the #1 greatest artist of all time according to Billboard.
  • Hold on to your hats—Gen Z hates this song almost as much as they hate the Elvis song. A 15% slice of respondents say they’d have to be forced to listen.

Baby Boomers on pop hits from the ’10s and today

• The recent pop hit Boomers recognize most, “Uptown Funk!” by Bruno Mars, ranks #1 on the Billboard Decade-End Hot 100 Songs from the 2010s.
  • 67% of Boomers would consider listening to the song in their free time—or already do.
• Despite the #1 status of “Blinding Lights” on the Greatest of All Time Hot 100, 39% of Boomers say they’ve never heard the song.
• Just 34% of Baby Boomers recognize “As It Was” by Harry Styles, which was a massively popular TikTok song and Spotify’s most streamed song of summer 2022.
  • After hearing the song, the majority of Boomers (55%) say they would listen in their free time. Only 5% actively dislike the song.
• Boomers still keep tabs on Elton John—67% recognize “Cold Heart – PNAU Remix.” Of that group, the majority (54%) say they heard it on the radio or in public.

Boomers and Zoomers on pop hits from the ’80s and ’90s

• More Zoomers than Boomers recognize Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” clocking in at 93% and 47% respectively.
  • Of Gen Z listeners, 39% attribute TikTok as their mode of discovery for the ’80s hit, with 26% citing TV and 24% citing a preexisting obsession.
  • Thanks to a cameo on Stranger Things season four, this song circled TikTok for months and demolished its original record for sales and airplay. Peaking at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985, the song climbed to #3 on the Hot 100 in July 2022—and #1 on the Global 200.
• Despite being Billboard’s #1 song of the 1990s, 48% of Gen Z has never heard “Smooth” by Santana ft. Rob Thomas.
  • 44% of Baby Boomer listeners recognize it from the radio or public airplay.
• Both generations appear open to music made before or after their youth.
  • 62% of Baby Boomers say they would listen to Gen Z’s music—or already do.
  • 55% of Gen Zers say the same about Baby Boomers’ music.
  • 66% of Gen Z and 73% of Baby Boomers say they would listen to pop hits from the ’80s and ’90s in their free time.

About

CenturyLinkQuote is an authorized sales agent of CenturyLink products.

For media inquiries, please contact media@centurylinkquote.com.