Macaulay Culkin has said he doesn’t believe that Die Hard is a Christmas film.
The actor, who starred in the festive classics Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, weighed in on the age-old debate during a new interview on Mythical Kitchen.
At one point in the conversation, host Josh Scherer asked Culkin whether the Bruce Willis-starring 1988 action blockbuster was a Christmas movie. “No, it’s not,” he responded.
“It’s based around Christmas – don’t fight me! But if it was also St Patrick’s Day, it would still work. But you couldn’t do Memorial Day Home Alone. No, it doesn’t work that way.”
Culkin added: “I’m just saying. I’m kind of the godfather of Christmas nowadays, so my opinion has some sway in this.”
You can see a clip of the conversation below, along with the full interview.
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In 2020, Die Hard director John McTiernan confirmed that it was indeed a Christmas film, though he “hadn’t intended it to be” initially. “But the joy that came from it is what turned it into a Christmas movie,” he explained.
Die Hard writer Steven E de Souza shared his stance around the same time, claiming that Die Hard was “more Christmassy” than 1954’s White Christmas.
“Does the movie take place during the Christmas holiday? Die Hard takes place entirely during Christmas,” he reasoned. “White Christmas, only the first scene and the final scene occur on Christmas, and they take place eight or 10 years apart.”
He went on: “Is the setting a Christmas party? Die Hard is entirely set at a Christmas party. White Christmas, only the final scene is a Christmas party.
“How many Christmas songs are in the movie? Die Hard has four: ‘Let It Snow’, ‘Winter Wonderland’, ‘Christmas In Hollis’, and ‘Jingle Bells’. White Christmas has only two Christmas songs.”