A Sign of the Times: The Grinch Beats Out Kris Kringle as Favorite Holiday Movie Character in National Survey

A Sign of the Times: The Grinch Beats Out Kris Kringle as Favorite Holiday Movie Character in National Survey

Redbox Survey Finds Seasonal Movies as Central to the Holidays as Baking Cookies

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The holidays are here again, so make your shopping list, grab your Christmas lights, and pop in a holiday movie. According to a national survey, 94 percent of respondents plan to watch a holiday movie to make this season bright. Redbox, the fully automated DVD rental system featuring new release rentals for $1 per night, makes renting holiday movies more convenient than ever - much easier than holiday shopping or traveling out of town, the two things people dread most about the holidays. Following are fun holiday facts following a recent national survey of more than 1,000 redbox customers nationwide:

Relax With a Holiday Movie - Everyone Else Is

-- Whether taking a break from holiday shopping or a brief respite from visiting relatives, watching a holiday movie is America's favorite way to relax this season (70 percent), more so than taking a nap (14.3 percent) or reading a book (10.3 percent).

-- With so many new and classic holiday movies to choose from, it seems watching one holiday movie is simply not enough. This season, the majority of survey respondents will watch two or more holiday movies (91.4 percent).

Holiday Movie Magic

-- Respondents felt shopping (35.4 percent), traveling (20.5 percent) and hanging Christmas lights (17.9 percent) are the worst part of the holidays, which is perhaps why many identified with The Grinch from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," who was voted the favorite holiday movie character (18.6 percent). The bad-tempered Grinch beat out unforgettable characters such as Ralphie from "A Christmas Story" (13 percent) and Kris Kringle from "Miracle on 34th Street" (13 percent).

-- The endearing George Bailey and Bedford Falls community have won America's hearts it seems, with survey respondents choosing the 1946 classic, "It's A Wonderful Life," as the best holiday movie of all time (19.3 percent). Perhaps falling in love with the classic pink bunny suit or 'fragile' leg lamp, survey respondents under the age of 35 preferred the 1983 hit, "A Christmas Story" (18.5 percent).

Keeping The Tradition

-- Whether attending parties, watching holiday movies or hanging stockings, the holidays are a time filled with family traditions. When asked to share the holiday traditions in their family, the most common response among women was decorating a tree (86.3 percent) while exchanging gifts was the most common response among men (81.6 percent).

-- More than 62 percent of respondents said watching a holiday movie is a tradition in their home, making it a more popular tradition than baking holiday cookies or hanging stockings.

Quotable Characters

-- When asked regarding the best holiday movie quote, the infamous words of Scrooge from "A Christmas Carol" - "It's all HUMBUG, I tell you, HUMBUG" (15.5 percent) - and Clark Griswold from "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" - "Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas" (9.3 percent) - were noted, but respondents can't seem to forget the classic line, "You'll shoot your eye out kid" from "A Christmas Story" (36.5 percent).

Festive Holiday Titles Now Available at Redbox
-- "Fred Claus"
-- "This Christmas"
-- "Jeff Dunham's Christmas Special"

About Redbox

Each fully automated redbox kiosk holds approximately 700 DVDs, representing up to 200 of the newest movie releases. Consumers simply use a touch screen to select their favorite movies, swipe a valid credit or debit card and go. The complete rental transaction takes less than 60 seconds. Customers can keep the DVD for as long as they'd like for $1 per night plus tax, and return it to any one of redbox's more than 10,000 locations nationwide. After 25 nights, rental charges cease and the DVD is the customer's to keep. For added convenience this holiday season, customers can also visit http://www.redbox.com/ to choose their DVD online and pick it up immediately at the redbox location of their choice.

Redbox Automated Retail, LLC offers new release DVD rentals for $1 per night through its nationwide network of conveniently located, self-service kiosks. Redbox is available at more than 10,000 locations nationwide, including select McDonald's(R) restaurants, leading grocery and convenience stores and Walmart and Walgreens stores in select markets. For more information about redbox, visit http://www.redbox.com/.

Editors Note:

The Redbox "Holiday Favorites" Survey polled 1,004 redbox customers nationwide.

Source: Redbox Automated Retail, LLC

CONTACT: Chris Goodrich, of JSH&A Public Relations for Redbox Automated
Retail, LLC, +1-630-932-1028, christopher@jsha.com

Web site: http://www.redbox.com/

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