Netflix’s Jingle Bell Heist reignites a huge Christmas movie debate – and it’s not about Die Hard
Jingle Bell Heist has now landed on Netflix so you can decide whether you’re going to add it to your annual festive rewatches. Those rewatches might include the likes of Elf, Love Actually and Home Alone, and nobody would argue with that, but there might be more controversial choices.
We’re bored with people constantly bringing up Die Hard (it’s a Christmas movie, deal with it) and, luckily, Jingle Bell Heist reignites another long-running ‘is it a Christmas movie’ debate in a brief exchange between two security guards. One suggests Batman Returns for their evening festive watch, but the other isn’t convinced it is a Christmas movie.
So we had to ask the stars of Jingle Bell Heist, Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells, for their opinion on whether Tim Burton’s classic Batman Returns is a Christmas movie.
“I don’t think it’s classified as a Christmas movie, but watching it around the holidays feels right. Somewhere in the middle,” Holt told Digital Spy, with Swindells admitting that he didn’t know if he’s “ever seen it”, but still giving a response: “I’m going to throw my opinion in there. I think it’s a Christmas movie.”
So there you have it. Whether you’ve seen it or not, Batman Returns is a Christmas movie.
Rob Baker Ashton/Netflix
Related: Olivia Holt took home her best Jingle Bell Heist disguise
One movie that’s definitely a Christmas movie is Jingle Bell Heist. It follows small-time thieves Sophia (Holt) and Nick (Swindells) as they plot a robbery at London’s most notorious department store on Christmas Eve. Inevitably, they also find their feelings for each other deepen as the heist draws closer.
As for what Swindells hoped that viewers take from the movie now that it’s on Netflix, he responded: “Joy. I hope people laugh and have fun and joy. I mean, that’s why I wanted to make this movie and enjoy it with your family, the people that you love. That’s what it’s about.”
With a Christmas movie now ticked off in their careers, Holt is already looking forward to what she might tackle next. “I feel like I’ve done, at least in the last couple of years, a mash-up of genres, which is very fun to do,” she reflected.
“I think it would be fun to do something [that would] completely change my look and my vibe. I don’t know what that genre means, maybe it feels more drama, but maybe it’s not. I don’t know. I’ll just shave my head.”
Jingle Bell Heist is out now on Netflix.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
