Christmas 2018: Most popular movie Santa EVER revealed – guess who it is?

New research from NOW TV has found a very clear winner in the search for Tinseltown’s favourite Father Christmas. The survey of over 2,000 people resulted in the late Richard Attenborough being crowned the winner, with 43% of the vote. He, of course, played Kris Kringle in the Miracle on 34th Street remake in 1994.

Behind him in second place is Tom Hanks, whose motion-capture Santa from The Polar Express landed him 27% of the vote.

And Tim Allen from the iconic The Santa Clause took 22% of the votes to poll third.

Edward Asner of Elf came fourth with 20%, and David Huddleston’s incarnation from Santa Claus: The Movie rounds out the Top 5 with 19%.

Ken Hudson Campbell from Home Alone 2 comes in sixth place with 17%, and Jim Broadbent’s animated Santa from Arthur Christmas collected 15% of the votes.

Billy Bob Thornton is No8 for Bad Santa (14%) and The Nightmare Before Christmas’s Edward Ivory came ninth with 10%.

Finishing up the Top 10 is Jim Belushi from Jingle All the Way, receiving 9% of the votes.

Interestingly, Hanks’ Polar Express Santa was the winner among 18-24 year-olds, with Attenborough coming in fourth.

But among over 55s, Attenborough was the easy winner with 30%; putting Hanks in second with 16%.

The research also showed that more than half – 53% to be exact – of families said Miracle on 34th Street is the Christmas film they watch every single year over the festive period.

40% said it’s the first Christmas movie they remember watching, indicating it has a strong resonance on a nostalgic level.

In terms of what viewers look for in a movie Santa, younger viewers preferred a sense of humour; while over 50s favoured kindness, magic and the art of being jolly.

Christmas classics are streaming on NOW TV. The Smart Stick at Sky Cinema Pass bundles are available contract-free.