50 million people watched Hallmark movies in 2019. Were you one of them? According to an article by NBC News, it states that the movies can provide easy solutions to the stress that the holidays bring like finances and family drama. Making people feel better is the core reason they are watched. According to a CHS survey, just over 56 percent of students like Hallmark movies.

Another reason people watch Hallmark movies is that they give hope and faith to people in a time of need. It helps people believe they can get the kind of love in the movies or to meet someone that makes them happy. 

A teacher at CHS that loves Hallmark movies is Mrs. Johnston. Like many people, Hallmark movies remind her of Christmas and holidays. She likes to watch them but “I usually watch them on the weekend during holidays, specifically Thanksgiving and Halloween.” A lot of times Hallmark movies are made to make viewers merry.

According to the CHS survey, around 23 percent of students watch Hallmark movies because they make them feel good. It helps them escape reality. “I like them because of the happy endings. It gets me in a better mood if I want to relax,” said Johnston.

Johnston, like 37 percent of students according to the survey, watch them because they like love stories. Many bad things are going on in the world and a huge reason viewers watch is to get away from hearing about life’s difficulties. “There is enough bad stuff in the world and a lot of stress everywhere so it’s nice to just sit and relax and watch something happy happen to somebody.” 

If they made more movies about other holidays, they might get more viewers more often. Mrs. Johnston explains, “They could throw in more diversity for sure. Hallmark movies could put in other holidays to make it more diverse like Jewish holidays or others and maybe make it a little less picture-perfect.”  The survey taken by CHS students shows that people that like them usually do not have a favorite movie because they all seem the same, but they like the Christmas movies the most.

 “I watch at least ten every December,” Says Johnson.

Hallmark movies have a fan base of 50 million a year because of the similarity of all movies and they are very unrealistic with their happy topics and joyous endings. Johnston continues, “I’m fine with how similar the movies are with the stories but if they want more viewers then they should change it up and maybe have darker endings.”

Though some people love Hallmark movies, there are two sides to the story. Helping to know why people don’t like them will give a different viewpoint. 

Mrs. Bryant, a CHS teacher, is not a fan of Hallmark movies. According to her, “Hallmark movies have no interesting plot and it’s the same plot in every movie.” Though she does not like them even she can admit they are mesmerizing to watch.  

She stated, “I really only watch them when I visit my moms’ house and she is watching them. I get really involved in the story and I end up regretting it.” 

Another reason she does not watch them according to her is that they are too predictable and she always knows how it will end. She does not think they can get any better but she, “likes that the casting is becoming more diverse.” 

Bryant says when she hears Hallmark, she thinks of Christmas movies and they are always about someone in a big town going to their hometown and falling in love. She likes Christmas but she doesn’t like the “hokey pokey stuff.” She has not watched many Hallmark movies. “I have maybe watched 5 Hallmark movies at most.” 

Bryant is not a fan of how happy they are and it makes her want to dislike them. Bryant stated, “I don’t like anything about them, I kind of love to hate them.”

The next time you’re feeling down and jiggy with it or lonely, go watch a Hallmark movie.