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 Like glinting tinsel in a sea of dark TV dramas, the number of
new, feel-good Christmas movies offered by U.S. cable TV
networks and the global streaming service Netflix is off the
charts. Among roughly five dozen original offerings this season
are "Hometown Christmas," "Christmas at Graceland," "My
Christmas Inn" and "A Shoe Addict's Christmas."
Demand was so high many had to be filmed in summer heat, with
fake snow and digital winter effects.
"Everything has blown up. I can't believe how much Christmas
stuff is going on this year and next year," said Andrew Gernhard,
whose company, Synthetic Cinema International, has produced
movies for the Hallmark and Lifetime cable channels and others.
These types of films, which promise snow, mistletoe and a love
story, used to be largely limited to networks like Hallmark and
Lifetime. This year Netflix Inc <NFLX.O> is releasing three new
Christmas romances, Walt Disney Co's <DIS.N> Freeform network is
airing three of its own, and the TV One channel has two on its
schedule.
For networks, the movies are relatively inexpensive. A typical
holiday film costs roughly $1 million to $3 million, far less
than the $10 million that networks can spend on a single episode
of premium television.
Gernhard believes Christmas movies are popular because they
offer an escape from the real world and the guarantee of a happy
ending.
"With everything that is bad going on right now, whether it's
war, politics, whatever, Christmas is the time of year that
people come together," he said. Holiday films "give them a
little inspiration in life by giving these happy, fun stories."
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
Netflix is moving deeper into the Christmas movie business after
last year's "A Christmas Prince," the story of a young
journalist sent abroad to write about a man who is poised to
become king. Viewership and social media chatter "wildly
exceeded our expectations," said Ian Bricke, co-head of
Netflix's independent film division.
Bricke said "Christmas Prince" was popular with Netflix
subscribers around the world, even in countries where the
holiday is not as big as it is in the United States. This year's
Netflix films include a sequel, "The Christmas Prince: A Royal
Wedding."
The season is important to the streaming service because the end
of the year typically means peak viewing time. People give
televisions or Netflix subscriptions as gifts, and families
gather and look for something to watch together.
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Christmas films "deliver what the audience wants - a romance, a
happy ending - some adversity and conflict, but not a lot," Bricke
said.
TV's Christmas rush started before Halloween, when the Hallmark
Channel kicked off its largest programing slate for the holiday with
"Christmas at Pemberley Manor" on Oct. 27.
Subscribers to Netflix watch holiday films all year, Bricke said,
suggesting that Christmas is not the main attraction. "It's
romance," he said. "People love love."
YEAR-ROUND FILMING
Filmmakers shoot Christmas movies throughout the year, Gernhard
said, partly because the quaint small towns that provide a backdrop
are booked with visitors during the real-life holiday season.
"Christmas at Pemberley Manor," which Gernhard produced, was filmed
in Connecticut in June. For summer shoots, actors wear light
clothing underneath heavy winter coats, and take frequent breaks to
drink water. Camera crews capture tight shots to keep unwanted
foliage and flowers out of the background. Any green leaves are
brushed out later with digital effects.
Crews also cover the ground with white blankets and use
"Ghostbusters"-style backpacks to spray trees and bushes with
biodegradable fake snow that is "sort of like shaved paper,"
Gernhard said.
The effort pays off with audiences.
In 2017, Hallmark Channel's Christmas-themed lineup made it the
most-watched cable network in the fourth quarter among women ages 25
to 54. This year's "Pemberley Manor" debuted with 3.6 million
viewers, ranking as the highest-rated non-sports program on cable
that day.
Hallmark is releasing a record 37 Christmas films this season across
the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Lifetime more
than doubled its output this year to 14.
The fervor is keeping people like Gernhard busy.
"I don't even know if I'm going to decorate my house because I've
done so much Christmas this year," he said.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Frances
Kerry)
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