Monday, January 8, 2024

Hallmark Channel Sets New Record for Christmas Movies in 2023.....

Studio City, CA - Already known for a busy production schedule, particularly during the holiday season, Hallmark Channel has announced that they set an all-time record last year during their popular "Countdown to Christmas" and "Miracles of Christmas" events.

Willoby Parker and Hambone Tumph, shown here in Christmas Again...Again?, one of the 290 movies they starred in during Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas in 2023

"We usually produce around 30-40 Christmas or holiday themed movies each season," Hallmark Media Chairman Donald J. Hall Jr. explained. "But from Friday, October 20th through Thursday, December 21st, we aired an incredible 630 new movies on the main channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and our Hallmark Movies Now streaming service. It wasn't easy, but our dedicated viewers just can't get enough of these festive movies and the experience of inviting their favorite stars into the comfort of their very own living rooms each and every night during the holidays."

How did Hallmark manage to write and produce content for 10 new movies to air daily over the two months leading up to Christmas? According to Hall Jr., Hallmark refused to sacrifice quality in the name of quantity. "We did have to make a few creative decision, but there was no corner cutting, just hard work."

Not all fans of the yearly block of holiday movies agree. Some, like self-described "Hallmark addict" Brenda Carter Samuelson Nash, have been expressing their disappointment online. "The drop in quality was obvious from the first movie that aired on October 20th, The Christmas Pony Rides Again, to Scotland, to the last one on December 21st, Christmas Movie #630 (Needs Title, Something About Santa Being Sad). Half of the movies were mostly just reused scenes from Christmas at Mistletoe Manor and Mistletoe Christmas Magic edited in a different order and a few new scenes with a different sassy black and/or gay best friend and/or co-worker."

No comments: