Tim Allen has appeared in multiple Christmas hit movies including The Santa Clause series, where he played Santa, and one from 2004 with Jamie Lee Curtis, Christmas With The Kranks. Unlike the former, Christmas With The Kranks was a flop on release, with a meager 5% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
It was based on John Grisham’s Skipping Christmas and featured Tim and Jamie as a married couple who opt out of Christmas celebrations as their daughter travels for a Peace Corps mission. Two decades later, Christmas With The Kranks is the 10th most streamed movie on Hulu.
Why is Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis’ movie only now trending?
With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, families are seeking entertainment and may sometimes go back in time to find it. People love a bit of nostalgia during the festive season, which explains why Christmas and Thanksgiving movies remain timeless thanks to yearly re-runs.
Christmas With The Kranks is also relatable, as Tim is not wearing a Santa costume this time but is a person with real-life experience. The movie also ends with the characters becoming better, selfless people, which is sometimes the bottom line of family reunions during the holiday.
Why did ‘Christmas With The Kranks’ perform so badly at first?
The sudden successful comeback of Christmas With The Kranks makes people wonder why it was not well received at first. Likely, viewers did not take well to the forced slapstick comedy and the rebellion against the festive spirit by the couple.
People tune in to holiday films for inspiration and reminders that Christmas is in the air, but the film’s plot was anti-Yuletide for the most part. The release of competing movies, which attained viewer expectations also pushed Christmas With The Kranks to the back burner. Over time, it has achieved holiday classic status and is slowly gaining appreciation.