Hell hath no fury like streaming services pumping out new originals before the festive season, with Netflix’s latest Christmas caper gunning straight for the charts on debut.
Churned out like butter in the summer months is Christmas with You, the streaming giant’s latest seasonal film. In its first week, it has seen an eye-watering near 18 million hours viewed as it looks to cement itself as a go-to 2022 holiday season film.
With none other than Freddie Prinze Jr. and Dexter star Aimee Garcia, the film has clearly used its star power to gain traction on streaming. Sitting at number six on Netflix’s film charts for the week, this romcom with added musical flair is absolutely decking the halls of the streaming service.
Garcia plays a down-on-her-luck popstar who seeks to fulfill a young fan’s wishes in a small rural New York town, as she escapes career and creative burnout. In true romcom spirit, she may just meet Mr. Right in the form of Prinze’s Miguel who wants to help her bring out the absolute best in herself.
Following nearly every trope known to man in both the romcom and Christmas movie genre, this bland and inoffensive festive treat has seen lukewarm critical reviews as it balances on the line between “rotten” and “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. Sitting at 60 percent, it could end up being one of Netflix’s best seasonal films this year.
Despite a strong opening, it was a ways to go before it challenges Lindsay Lohan’s comeback vehicle Falling for Christmas, which sits at number one in week two with 37 million hours viewed. Both films are currently available to stream on Netflix.