Home Alone voted UK's favourite Christmas film of all time

'Home Alone' has been voted as the UK's favourite Christmas movie of all time.

The 1990 movie took 19 per cent of the vote in a nationwide study carried out by Showcase Cinemas ahead of the festive period and beat out competition from Will Ferrell's classic comedy 'Elf' (14 per cent) and 'Love Actually' (13 per cent).

In a closely fought race to be named the UK's favourite film character from a Christmas movie, Will Ferrell's performance as Buddy the Elf saw him land top spot with one in five choosing the elf as their character of choice.

Macaulay Culkin's performance as Kevin McCallister (17 per cent) in 'Home Alone' landed in second place while 'Die Hard' action hero John McClane (15 per cent) rounded out the top three.

In terms of actors playing Santa Claus, the late Richard Attenborough's portrayal in the 1994 remake of 'Miracle on 34th Street' was chosen as Britain's favourite – taking over a quarter of the vote (26 per cent).

Kurt Russell (20 per cent) finished in second place after playing Santa in the 2018 film 'The Christmas Chronicles' while Tom Hanks (18 per cent) was third after voicing Father Christmas in animated flick 'The Polar Express'.

In the survey's most controversial finding, more than one in five participants claim that 'Die Hard' is not a Christmas film.

To celebrate the Christmas period, Showcase Cinemas will be screening a range of festive favourites at cinemas across the UK.

A Showcase Cinemas spokesperson said: "Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year when it comes to the cinema. There are so many iconic films and moments from festive films throughout the years and 'Home Alone' is a deserving winner in our nationwide poll.

"Our survey revealed that watching Christmas movies is one of the UK's favourite things at this time of year, so we're delighted to be screening a few festive flashbacks on our screens across the country.

"Whether its family favourites such as 'The Polar Express' or the evergreen 'Die Hard', guests can come along and get in the Christmas spirit with a classic film screening in the lead up to the big day."