Is 'Die Hard' a Christmas Movie? Americans Have Their Say

A new poll by Talker Research for Newsweek has revealed America's answer to that age-old question: is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

Every year around December 25, families gather to exchange gifts, eat turkey and debate whether the cinematic exploits of Bruce Willis' wise-cracking, vest-wearing John McClane constitute festive film entertainment.

The new survey looks set to add a little extra ammo to one side of the argument. The Talker poll of 1,000 U.S. adults, conducted between December 2-6, saw respondents asked: "In your opinion, is the movie Die Hard considered a Christmas movie?"

The response could leave some readers more shocked than Hans Gruber dropping from the top of Nakatomi Plaza on December 24. According to the results, 45 percent of Americans polled think that Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. By comparison, just 38 percent answered yes, while 17 percent were unsure.

Dennis Hayden is pretty sure where he stands on the issue. Hayden played Eddie, a key member of Gruber's crack team of terrorists in the original movie who was responsible for manning the downstairs reception of Nakatomi Plaza.

Hayden's character Eddie is one of the last of Gruber's crew left standing in the movie and, as someone who spent a significant amount of time on set, he is well placed to settle the debate. For Hayden, it's clear.

"Die Hard is a Christmas movie," Hayden told Newsweek. "It's all about Christmas; the setting, the timing, the Christmas Eve Party, the decorations."

The film's director, John McTiernan, previously suggested that Die Hard didn't start out as a Christmas movie. In 2020, he told the American Film Institute: "We hadn't intended it to be a Christmas movie, but the joy that came from it is what turned it into a Christmas movie."

Hayden has a different recollection of events though. "We filmed it over the holiday season," he said. "It felt like a Christmas movie with a lot of action."

He does, however, think its status as a Christmas film has been reinforced with the passing of time. "It evolves every year to a new generation of Die Hard fans as a Christmas movie," Hayden said.

Though McTiernan may not be convinced, Hayden is keen to highlight that one of the film's writers, Steven E. de Souza, says it is a Christmas movie.

During an appearance on the Script Apart podcast, De Souza argued that Die Hard is arguably more of a Christmas movie than 1954's White Christmas.

De Souza argued that while only the first and final scene of White Christmas takes place during the holiday season, the entirety of Die Hard is set during the festive holidays. Die Hard also boasts more Christmas songs than White Christmas and is set around a Christmas party.

Some fans and critics still need convincing though. Jimmy Cork works at the Film Forum theater in Manhattan and has directed multiple award-winning short films. Though he believes there is "never a bad time to watch Die Hard" and it is "Christmas-y enough" he can see why there has been some "pushback" to the idea of it being a festive flick.

"I think most of the pushback to it being a Christmas movie comes from its setting being somewhat incidental," he said. "Die Hard was a summer release. It's easy to have seen Die Hard, enjoyed it, and then forget about its holiday connection altogether."

Cork added: "You swap out Nakatomi Plaza's Christmas Eve party for a New Year's Eve or 4th of July celebration, it's the exact same movie. The fact that it's almost entirely set inside a cold, metallic skyscraper in sunny Los Angeles doesn't entirely help its case either."

Willis, for his part, shared his thoughts on the matter in 2018, during Comedy Central's The Roast of Bruce Willis, telling the audience: "Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. It's a g****** Bruce Willis movie!"

Hayden thinks that was Willis' way of "keeping the controversy going" by not coming out definitely on one side or the other. Despite the results of the Newsweek poll, he doesn't see the argument being settled anytime soon.

"I get fans sending me Die Hard Christmas memes from all over the world and hear about Christmas Die Hard watch parties," he said. ""The world is still debating this, 36 years after the release of the film."

This random double-opt-in survey of 1,000 general population Americans was commissioned by Newsweek between December 2 and December 6, 2024. It was conducted by market research company Talker Research whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).