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Brooke Shields latest book on aging has solved one of the biggest Hallmark Mystery cases: Why was Flower Shop Mysteries with Brennan Elliott canceled? Moreover, why did the talented actress walk away from a 16-movie deal with the feel-good network? Here are all the fascinating details.

Brooke Shields in A Castle for Christmas [Image Netflix/YouTube] Brooke Shields Shares Why She Left Hallmark

For years, Sleuthers have wondered why Brooke Shields and Brennen Elliott’s mystery series Flower Shop Mysteries was canceled. In her latest memoir, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed To Get Old: Thoughts On Aging As A Woman, which was released on Tuesday, revealed why she left the Hallmark Channel.

According to US Magazine, the actress revealed that she signed “a massive deal” with Hallmark, which was run by current Great American Family CEO Bill Abbott. This was for 16 movies. The plan was that Shields was going to help rebrand the network.

Years ago, Brooke Shields signed a massive contract with Hallmark to star in their franchise, Flower Shop Mysteries, but only three films in the series were made.

The now 59-year-old actress had signed a 16-film deal with Hallmark, but realized she “had to renegotiate.”

Keep reading to find out more…

“I’d completed only three when I realized I had to renegotiate. I’d been hired, I was told, to help change the face of the network. They wanted me to be funny and bring more comedy to their offerings, but as filming progressed on each of the Flower Shop Mysteries — the franchise I was hired to headline — all the humor had evaporated,” she wrote in her new book “Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old.” Those three movies all premiered in 2016: Mum’s the Word: A Flower Shop Mystery, Flower Shop Mystery: Snipped in the Bud, and Flower Shop Mystery: Dearly Depotted.

Two Christmas series are trending on Netflix, and they couldn't be more different. Netflix's library contains a diverse array of Christmas titles. Although their roster includes an ever-shifting array of acquired movies and TV shows that come and go as licensing contracts change, their holiday season offerings for 2024 have included theatrical titles such as A Bad Moms Christmas and Journey to Bethlehem as well as a huge list of Hallmark CHannel movies including Haul Out the Holly, Christmas with a Kiss, Christmas in Notting Hill, A Biltmore Christmas, and A Merry Scottish Christmas.

However, since the late 2010s, they have also built out a huge roster of Netflix original Christmas movies, many of which take place in an interconnected universe. This includes the Princess Switch and A Christmas Prince trilogies, A Castle for Christmas, and The Knight Before Christmas. However, they also have many other holiday-themed offerings including holiday versions...

As you know, Netflix is currently the biggest player in the streaming market, and while viewers often pick the categories that they prefer over some new ones, Netflix is known for having a rich and diverse library of movies and TV series, so everyone can find something to their liking.

In this report, seeing how Christmas is very near, we are going to focus on the Christmas-y content provided by Netflix, as we are going to deliver a list of the ten best Christmas movies currently on Netflix, which will be listed here and described, as per the fans on Ranker.

You are going to find out some basic plot elements about each movie and why these movies are among the best ones that you can currently see on the streaming platform. Of course, Netflix has a much bigger library of Christmas movies that you can enjoy, but these are...

To describe “The Merry Gentlemen” as “The Full Monty” meets a Christmas-themed Hallmark movie might be overselling the goods. However, that’s essentially the elevator pitch for this feature, in which a big-city dancer returns to her small town to save her parents’ concert venue by having hunks go shirtless on stage. Yet director Peter Sullivan and writer/co-star Marla Sokoloff’s offering in the Netflix Holiday Cinematic Universe is uninventive, uninspired and presented with noticeably sloppy wrapping. Not only does the story flail trying to find its footing after a well-presented first act, some of the more cost-conscious aspects detract from the picture’s meaningful, understated sentiments.

Single, 30-something Ashley (Britt Robertson) is living the dream, high kicking and tap dancing in The Jingle Belles Christmas Revue and recouping from shows in her picturesque apartment in New York City. Lately, though, she’s feeling a little out of step...

The new Netflix Christmas movie featuring one of the stars of the original Mean Girls has debuted with a strong Rotten Tomatoes score. At the time of writing, the streaming service has a wide variety of holiday movies available, including a robust slate of Christmas titles. In the United States, their catalog includes modern entries such as the comedy sequel A Bad Moms Christmas, the musical Journey to Bethlehem, and a slate of newly added Hallmark rom-coms including Haul Out the Holly and A Biltmore Christmas.

Their slate of originals also includes quite a entries in the interconnected Netflix holiday movie universe. This modern Christmas rom-com franchise includes the A Christmas Prince and Princess Switch trilogies, which take place in neighboring kingdoms, as well as A Castle for Christmas and The Knight Before Christmas. The streamer has also produced standalone titles such as Single All the Way, Falling for Christmas,...

Netflix subscribers love of big, brash action movies has been put on ice as Christmas approaches, with another new festive movie landing a perfect debut on the platform. Meet Me Next Christmas is still topping the global chart (at the time of writing), but the U.S. chart is being dominated by another offering that screams Hallmark Channel in the well-formed Hot Frosty. And there is a good reason why this movie comes with all the hallmarks of the cable network, as it stars the queen of Hallmark movies and Mean Girls star Lacey Chabert in the lead role.

Judging a book by its cover, Hot Frosty has a cheesy, ludicrous, destined-to-fail plot about a widowed woman who, with the use of an enchanted scarf, turns a regular snowman into a hunk with abs, and they spend a romantic Christmas together. Even the overly happy poster art leans into this being another schmaltzy,...

Shields' roles in sitcoms like Jane the Virgin showcased her strength as a comedic actress with great on-screen chemistry. Despite mixed reviews, Shields' performance in The Blue Lagoon launched her into superstardom with emotional resonance. Shields' versatility as an actress was evident in Law & Order: Svu, where she portrayed Sheila Porter with depth and intensity.

Warning: This article contains mentions of violence and abuse.

Brooke Shields received several Razzie Award nominations over the years, but despite this, she had a solid and varied career in both TV shows and movies. The actress famously stepped into the spotlight for the first time at less than a year old as a child model and made her first on-screen appearance as a performer in After the Fall, the 1974 TV show adaptation of the play of the same name by Arthur Miller. From there, Shields quickly established herself as a big name in Hollywood throughout her childhood,...

Negative reviews led to a dismal 22% Rotten Tomatoes score for Mother of the Bride. This score is disappointing compared to her well-reviewed 2021 Netflix movie A Castle for Christmas. A Castle for Christmas earned a 75% score largely due to the chemistry between Shields and her co-star Cary Elwes.

Mother of the Bride has been a critical disappointment compared to Brooke Shields' rom-com success from three years ago. The new Netflix original movie, which also stars Miranda Cosgrove, Sean Teale, Chad Michael Murray, Rachael Harris, and Benjamin Bratt, was written by Robin Bernheim, who has previously collaborated with Netflix on the Princess Switch trilogy and A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding. It was directed by Mark Waters, whose most prominent credits include the 2000s teen classics Mean Girls and Freaky Friday.

The Mother of the Bride star has been in the industry for decades, having kicked off her career as a model...

Mother of the Bride is a romantic comedy full of tropes, but it is also sweet and funny enough to work. A stellar cast, led by Brooke Shields and Benjamin Bratt, shines in this lighthearted summer flick. The film balances silliness and sincerity, offering an easy, breezy, enjoyable watch.

A young woman living abroad gets engaged and surprises her mother with the news that she is getting married in a month a destination wedding in Phuket, Thailand. Unbeknownst to both, the bride's mother runs into her ex, and shenanigans ensue. Off the cuff, you would think this is the premise of Julia Roberts and George Clooney's Ticket to Paradise. But no, the always amusing, same movie/different font curse strikes again with Netflix's latest romantic comedy, Mother of The Bride, starring Brooke Shields and Benjamin Bratt.

6/10 ProsBrooke Shields & Benjamin Bratt shine in their rolesThe story can be fun...

There's a thin line between love and hate — especially when it comes to romance stories. The enemies-to-lovers trope is a tried and true genre staple, most recently demonstrated in the Brooke Shields–Cary Elwes holiday drama A Castle For Christmas. It follows bestselling American romance author Sophie Brown (Shields) as she travels to Scotland, where she clashes with grumpy Scottish duke Myles (Elwes). The two spar at first, but their hard exteriors begin to soften as they realize their sparks are indicative of an electric romantic chemistry.

But if you finished A Castle For Christmas and are immediately ready to dive into a new change-of-heart romance where the protagonists have a hard time discerning their attraction from anger, here’s a list of films you can stream right now.

Jennifer Garner leads Netflix's upcoming holiday film Mrs. Claus, with the plot still under wraps. Garner also has projects in the works like Fruitcake and a potential Alias reboot discussion. The star is open to reprising her famous roles, including Elektra and Sydney Bristow, if J.J. Abrams directs.

Jennifer Garner is increasing her Netflix collaborations with the upcoming holiday film Mrs. Claus. Per Deadline, Garner will lead the Christmas film as the titular character. The streamer has not yet released any information about the film's plot. Leah McKendrick, known for her work on Scrambled and M.F.A. (she's also set to scribe the anticipated I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel), will write Mrs. Claus.

Related Dwayne Johnsons Christmas Action Movie, Red One, Gets 2024 Theatrical Release Starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, Red One will now land in theaters for the 2024 holiday season.

Mrs. Claus will be produced by...

When it comes to last-minute wedding plans going haywire, the exploits of Brooke Shields and Miranda Cosgrove in the first trailer for Netflix’s romantic comedy Mother of the Bride just might take the cake.

Mark Waters’ movie debuts on the streamer May 9 and also stars Benjamin Bratt, Chad Michael Murray, Rachael Harris and Sean Teale. Mother of the Bride centers on Emma (Cosgrove), who shocks her mom, Lana (Shields), with the revelation that she is getting married in a month in Thailand. More complications ensue when Lana learns that the father of the groom is Will (Bratt), who broke her heart years ago.

“My daughter has to fall for the son of the guy who ripped my heart out,” Shields laments in the trailer. Cosgrove then asks her mom, “I get that you were a thing in college, but what’s the big deal?”

Later, Cosgrove tells Shields, “It...

After starring in the 2021 rom-com A Castle For Christmas for Netflix, Brooke Shields is preparing for a trip abroad in her next romantic feature, Mother of the Bride. The streamer shared the first set of images from the film showing her in paradise as Lana, the titular mother of Miranda Cosgrove's Emma, who gets quite a shock when her daughter returns from overseas to announce that she's getting married. Better yet, it's a destination wedding in Thailand, in a month, and she's marrying the son of Lana's former flame who broke her heart years ago and will be there at the ceremony.

Brooke Shields is often considered one of the greatest child actors of all time. While every young fan wanted to have a life like hers, there’s always the flip side of the coin. In a world obsessed with the curated perfection celebrities project, the truth begins to crackle through the facade: the price of child stardom is often far steeper than applause.

A still from A Castle for Christmas

The glitz and glamour of child stardom can fade fast, leaving behind shadows rarely discussed. Shields, with raw honesty, once delved into her relationship with her mother, where lines blurred and revelations were made.

Suggested“It felt so personal”: Brooke Shields Was Incredibly Upset When Uma Thurman Stole Her Opportunity to Work With Keanu Reeves in $34 Million Flop

Brooke Shields Revealed Why Her Mother Was Always On The Set With Her

A still from Pretty Baby (1978)

Shields and actress...

The Christmas Chronicles – Picture: Netflix

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and if you’re wondering what Netflix’s most popular original Christmas movies and series have been, we’ve got the top 50 from the past few years.

All data below was provided to What’s on Netflix exclusively from the excellent team at FlixPatrol, with whom we’ve collaborated on a number of articles, and they also power our top 10 hub page.

We’re going to split this list into two parts. First, we’ll cover the Christmas movies, shows, and specials that have picked up the most points in the United States, and then we’ll move onto the global list. The global list collects the points for 80+ Netflix countries.

As a quick refresher, points are picked up every time a show or movie gets featured in the daily top 10. If you’re a movie that ranks #10 for one day,...

Stars: Brandy Norwood, Heather Graham, Jason Biggs, Matt Cedeño, Wyatt Hunt, Abby Villasmil, Madison Skye Validum, Nadia Sine | Written by Todd Calgi Gallicano, Charles Shyer | Directed by Mary Lambert

I will start this review by declaring that that title annoys me much more than it should. Why the full stops and the exclamation mark? It just feels very unnecessary. Now that is out of the way, let’s talk about the movie.

When Jackie sends out her annual ragging Christmas newsletter (I don’t think that’s a thing here in the UK – not to my knowledge – but they always seem to be a thing in American movies), it includes an invite for any of the readers (and friends) to join her at Christmas. Her high school best friend then accidentally ends up at her house after a long drive and they are forced to spend Christmas together.

If you...

For those craving their next holiday romantic comedy, or more aptly, a friend-com, Netflix has you covered with its latest festive flick, Best. Christmas. Ever! Differing from its traditional rom-com formula, but still delivering plenty of familiar holiday cheer, Best. Christmas. Ever! is a lighthearted family film for anyone looking to kick off the holiday season with something sweet. Elevated by its fantastic cast (led by Heather Graham and Brandy Norwood), the film celebrates female friendship and oozes with festive spirit. Which may be thanks to Best. Christmas. Ever! being director Mary Lambert's second Christmas film after Netflix's A Castle for Christmas.

Returning to Netflix with her second Christmas film, Mary Lambert is perhaps best known for directing the very different 1989 film, Pet Sematary, as well as the aforementioned Netflix Christmas movie. MovieWeb recently sat down with Mary Lambert to discuss her latest movie, and why she returned to...

Try as we might, we withered gothic souls can only hold the line and extend October's scary vibes into November for so long. But with so few viewing options specific to the month (although horror fans now have a bountiful feast to indulge in around Turkey Day thanks to Eli Roth's satisfyingly sleazy slasher "Thanksgiving"), many people tend to spend this time of year diving head-first into Christmas entertainment. The streaming services of the world have sat up and taken notice, too, as evidenced by the endless ads for "Dashing Through the Snow" on Disney+ that popped up on my Roku menu over the past week.

However, it's another quirky Yuletide comedy that's making waves on streaming at the moment. Titled "Best. Christmas. Ever!", the Netflix exclusive rolled out globally on November 16, 2023. According to Netflix viewership aggregator FlixPatrol, the film quickly shot to #1 on the streamer on its first...

Best. Christmas. Ever! is a holiday comedy on Netflix that follows two longtime frenemies reuniting during the holidays. Heather Graham and Brandy Norwood discuss their characters in an interview, with Graham relating to her Scrooge-like character. The film has a satisfying conclusion where Graham's character learns to embrace the good things in her life and let go of negativity.

The time for holiday movies is upon us and Netflix is looking to spread some holiday with their recently released Best. Christmas. Ever! The holiday comedy follows longtime frenemies, portrayed by Heather Graham and Brandy Norwood, who are reunited during the holidays in a twist of fate. Their characters are polar opposites; Norwood's Jackie is festive and optimistic, while Graham's Charlotte is a self-critical skeptic who is not Christmastime's biggest fan. As it turns out, both Graham and Norwood felt connected to their Best. Christmas. Ever! characters, something they discussed during an interview with MovieWeb.

Best. Christmas. Ever! is a heartwarming holiday movie on Netflix that showcases the delightful chemistry between Heather Graham and Brandy as old friends who reconnect during a Christmas vacation. The film also features a fun dynamic between Jason Biggs and Matt Cedeño as the husbands who go along for the ride, along with a talented cast of child actors who bring depth and entertainment to the movie. Director Mary Lambert brings her exceptional experience working with kid actors to Best. Christmas. Ever!, creating an ensemble effort where the kids shine alongside the adult actors, making for a cozy and enjoyable viewing experience.

The latest holiday movie from Netflix has arrived! Co-written by Charles Shyer and directed by Mary Lambert, Best. Christmas. Ever! stars Heather Graham and Jason Biggs as a couple who accidentally reunite with an old friend (Brandy) and her husband (Matt Cedeño). Old resentments and jealousies quickly bubble up to the surface,...

Heather Graham is an uninvited guest who wants to reveal imperfections in Brandy Norwood’s impressive life in the first trailer for Netflix’s Best. Christmas. Ever!

The holiday-themed feature from filmmaker Mary Lambert hits the streaming service Nov. 16. Best. Christmas. Ever! centers on Charlotte (Graham) dealing with jealousy over her college friend Jackie (Norwood) sending boastful holiday newsletters every year. After unexpectedly ending up on her former pal’s doorstep days before Christmas, Charlotte hopes to prove that Jackie’s life is more flawed than it appears.

The trailer shows Graham’s character dealing with her complicated feelings about her past with her erstwhile bestie. “Being here reminds me of everything I wanted to do with my life and didn’t,” Graham explains.

Later in the footage, Norwood’s Jackie tells her friend, “I knew you were sneaking around. What is your problem, girl?”

Jason Biggs and Matt Cedeño co-star,...

"I can't imagine spending the holidays together after what happened." Yeah, no monsters at dinner next time grandma. Let's have some fun today with these new trailers this week – shall we? Netflix + Miracle Media have each debuted official trailers for holiday-themed movies coming out this fall – and they both look terrible. Which one is worse...? Which one seems like it has less originality to offer? One is a Hallmark Channel movie rip off, the other will rip off your face while you're watching some Hallmark Channel movies. Netflix is releasing a romantic comedy called Best. Christmas. Ever! this fall, the latest from filmmaker Mary Lambert (who also made 2021's A Castle for Christmas on Netflix). Starring Heather Graham, Brandy Norwood, Jason Biggs and Matt Cedeño. Miracle Media is releasing this goofy UK horror comedy called Werewolf Santa, which originally premiered at FrightFest 2023 in London a few months ago. Starring Katherine Rodden,...

Brooke Shields, Miranda Cosgrove and Benjamin Bratt will star in “Mother of the Bride,” a new romantic comedy from Netflix. Mark Waters, who previously helmed “Mean Girls” and “He’s All That,” directs from a script by Robin Bernheim, the writer of “The Princess Switch” franchise.

According to the official logline, “Mother of the Bride” is a generational comedy of errors. It reads: “When Lana’s daughter Emma returns from a year abroad in London, she drops a bombshell on her mother: she’s getting married. On an island. Next month! Things only get worse when Lana discovers that the mystery man who stole her daughter’s heart just so happens to be the son of the man who broke hers years ago.”

Shields is best known for her starring roles in “Pretty Baby” and “The Blue Lagoon,” as well as her long-running sitcom “Suddenly Susan.” She has been making headlines...

Lindsay Lohan has made her triumphant return to movies, appearing in Netflix's first-holiday movie of the 2022 season. Lohan plays Sierra in Falling For Christmas, a spoiled heiress who wants people to remember her for more than just her last name. Unfortunately, Sierra's plans get derailed when she wakes up from a ski accident with no recollection of who she is. Taken in by a local lodge owner, Sierra tries to figure out who she is while learning to be a better person.

The movie is already creating quite a buzz on social media and has left several fans wanting even more movies like Falling for Christmas to watch, or perhaps, just more Lohan movies. Luckily, there are plenty of feel-good holiday movies, and Lohan led ones to choose fun to turn any day into a joint binge session.

A Castle for Christmas (2021) Available On Netflix

Best-selling author Sophie Brown...

The Netflix holiday movie Falling for Christmas is a self-consciously corny rom-com, but it is also undeniably one-time teenage superstar Lindsay Lohan’s comeback. The last 15 years were not kind to Lohan’s career or personal life. After the stellar reception of her first few performances in cult classics like The Parent Trap, Mean Girls, and Freaky Friday, Lohan starred in a string of critical and commercial flops such as I Know Who Killed Me and Chapter 27 while simultaneously suffering some highly publicized personal struggles.

A 2022 deal with Netflix is intended to mark Lindsay Lohan’s comeback, with the Yuletide rom-com Falling for Christmas being her first major production role in over a decade —since 2010's Machete. In the interim, Lohan cropped up in minor television roles, a few indie movies that gained only limited releases, and small cameo parts in unsuccessful comedies. However, with an 80 Rotten Tomatoes score, a...

National treasure Jennifer Lopez gave an Oscar-worthy performance in the exotic dancer true crime drama “Hustlers” in 2019. In 2022,

As a lifelong Lohan fan whose childhood was marked by watching two Lindsays in “Parent Trap,” forcing my mom to see “Freaky Friday” to understand my plight of being an 8-year-old, and dreaming of moving to New York after watching the “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen” DVD nonstop, I have wanted to believe in the Lohan-aissance. Like Santa Claus, the idea of icon Lindsay Lohan coming back on top in Hollywood seemed like the stuff of a Christmas miracle. Well, “Falling for Christmas” proves that every Lohan fan’s holiday wish has come true.

“Falling for Christmas” has a simple enough plot: Lohan plays Sierra, a hotel heiress (think Paris Hilton meets Lohan Beach Club) with a heart of gold and a wardrobe of jewel tones. After a proposal from her...

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Fans of festive film puns are no doubt rejoicing this year over the imminent arrival of Universal’s black comedy Violent Night. Sure, the film may star David Harbour as a boozy Santa Claus forced to take on a team of heavily armed mercenaries led by John Leguizamo, but for many the genius movie title alone is enough of a selling point.

But if you presume Violent Night is the best Christmas pun in movieland this year, think again.

Lurking under the radar at AFM is the exquisitely entitled seasonal romance Yuletide the Knot, being sold by Fabrication Films and boasting a super-rare, double-syllabled pun.

Sure, its timeless story of a small-town wedding planner who unexpectedly bumps into her high school sweetheart when planning her biggest Christmas nuptials yet, a reunion that “reminds her what it is to love,” may not feature a...

Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story star Evan Peters has said that he wants to do a rom-com after starring in such an intense role. Peters, who is best known for his role as Quicksilver in the X-Men movies and as various characters in American Horror Story, first rose to prominence for his collaboration with Ryan Murphy on American Horror Story season 1 as the memorably twisted character Tate Langdon. Since then, he has appeared in eight more seasons playing different characters, including the hotelier serial killer James Patrick March, clown cult creator Kai Anderson, and real-life figures Jim Jones and Charles Manson.

Peters' latest collaboration with Murphy is the Netflix series Monster, which has allowed him to bring another notorious real-life figure to life. In his role as Jeffrey Dahmer, Peters reenacts many of the notorious serial killer's crimes while his neighbor Glenda Cleveland (Niecy Nash) attempts to get...

The Hallmark Channel is headed to Britain this Christmas for a jolly holiday.

The network has cast Will Kemp (“The Christmas Waltz”) and Reshma Shetty (“Blind Spot”) in its upcoming original movie “Jolly Good Christmas,” which will premiere during its annual Countdown to Christmas programming event.

The movie was shot entirely on location, from residential areas in the north west of the city to Piccadilly Circus, and promises lots of glimpses of iconic London landmarks. In a first-look image shared with Variety, Kemp and Shetty can be see standing on the banks of the River Thames romantically looking into each other’s eyes.

In the film, Kemp plays David, an American architect who relocates across the pond to take up a job at a prestigious London firm. As the clock counts down to Christmas Day, David is running out of time to buy his girlfriend – who also happens to be...

“The Lost City” is set to both honor the ‘author-becomes-adventurer’ trope and add to it by calling back to the action-romance genre. Sandra Bullock follows in the footsteps Jodie Foster’s agoraphobic author in “Nim’s Island” (2008) and Brooke Shields’ romance writer Sophie in “A Castle for Christmas” (2021) as she plays a romance novelist who gets lost on her own adventure with a cover model.

The film boasts quite a stacked cast of stars and promises both rom-com laughs and adventure movie thrills.

Many may be wondering how to watch “The Lost City,” but fear not — all your questions are answered below.

When Does “The Lost City” Premiere?

“The Lost City” came out on Friday, March 25, 2022.

Is “The Lost City” Streaming?

No, “The Lost City” is playing exclusively in theaters. However, since this is a Paramount Pictures release, the film will likely be streaming on Paramount+ within 45 days like other recent...

On a subdued post-Thanksgiving week, Lost in Space captured the top spot on Nielsen’s U.S. streaming chart, with 1.2 billion minutes of viewing.

The runner-up for the period from November 29 to December 5 was preschool series CoComelon, which tallied 786 million minutes of viewing.

The third and final season of Lost in Space began streaming on Netflix on December 1, giving the revamp of the 1960s original series 28 total episodes.

Nielsen measures viewing via a TV set of programming on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu and Apple TV+, reporting the numbers after about a month’s delay by arrangement with streaming providers.

Netflix had a strong movie week, with director Jane Campion’s Oscar contender The Power of the Dog finishing No. 9 overall, with 470 million viewing minutes. The streaming giant also had the four top titles on Nielsen’s movies-only chart, with Dog followed by A Castle for Christmas, Red Notice and A Boy Called Christmas.

Netflix has kicked off the festive season with a host of new holiday content. There has been a slew of originals including A Castle for Christmas, Love Hard, and Single All The Way. While some Netflix Christmas movies have ranked higher than others, there's no shortage of new content for festive film lovers to enjoy.

Related: 10 Most Underrated Christmas Movies Of The Past 5 Years

In addition, the streaming giant has also welcomed the holiday season with a brand new Danish show on the platform. Netflix's Elves is a less-than-merry horror story that follows the Svane family to a remote island as they celebrate Christmas away from the hustle and bustle of city life. With only six episodes, the action begins immediately, and the characters are quickly established. While some are instantly likable, others are harder for viewers to warm to.

Content Warning: This article contains spoilers for Netflix's Elves.

Sandra Bullock is back on Netflix, and this time, it isn’t blindfolded in a post-apocalyptic horror (a la 2018’s “Bird Box”). Her latest feature flick on the streamer, “The Unforgivable,” directed by Nora Fingscheidt, debuted at No. 1 globally on Dec. 10 and generated 85.86 million hours of subscriber viewership. In the film, Bullock stars as Ruth Slater, a woman recently released from prison who re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past or the murder she committed.

Fingscheidt joins a cohort of female directors and showrunners that dominated Netflix’s Top 10 lists for the week of Dec. 6-12, including Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”), Halle Berry (“Bruised”), Mary Lambert (“A Castle for Christmas”), Clare Knight (“Back to the Outback”), Maria Torres (“Anonymously Yours”), Mar Targarona (“Two”), Molly Smith Metzler (“Maid”) and Lauren Schmidt Hissrich (“The Witcher”). Campion’s Western-drama — starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee — took the No.

Netflix is giving Hallmark a run for their money with a ton of cute original Christmas movies, but did you know they're all connected? That's right - Netflix is getting in on the connected-universes craze with their very own Netflix Christmas movie shared universe! Here's exactly how all of your favorites fit together.

There are two different overarching ways that these movies are connected: on-screen cameos and full-fledged name-dropping. The former category is how it all began. In the 2018 movie The Holiday Calendar, the creative team needed to show a movie playing on a screen within the movie itself. "It felt like a natural fit to show one of our other films available on Netflix," said Amanda Phillips Atkins, EVP at production company Mpca. As a result, a scene from 2017's The Christmas Inheritance pops up on a TV. The Christmas Inheritance also shows up on a TV in The Princess Switch,...

“Red Notice” may not have been favored highly by film critics, but Netflix subscribers seemingly can’t get enough of the comedy-action movie or its A-lister cast including Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot. The Rawson Marshall Thurber feature was, for the third week in a row, at the top of Netflix’s weekly global streaming lists for English-language movies in all 94 countries.

As of Nov. 28, the film has registered 328.8 million hours viewed since its Nov. 12 release, Netflix said. The film, which has a Metacritic score of 37, has officially surpassed Netflix’s former No. 1 film, Sandra Bullock’s “Bird Box,” which scared up 282 million hours viewed in its first 28 days, by the streamer’s accounting. “Red Notice” was produced by Hiram Garcia, Johnson and Dany Garcia of Seven Bucks Prods., Beau Flynn’s Flynn Picture Co. and Thurber’s Bad Version.

The success of “Red Notice” and the popularity...

Tis the season for kicking back, relaxing, and watching something silly or sweet, and filled with holiday spirit. For that reason, Netflix has invested heavily in holiday entertainment, bringing even more movies, shows, and specials than ever before to your home this year.

So we’ve taken on the holiday cheer required for breaking down their new original Christmas movies, from the fun and cheesy romances to the familial fairy tales, and everything in between. Fan favorite franchise The Princess Switch returns as well as a buzzy new romance starring Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes. Thankfully there’s only one real stinker in the lot, but if you like to keep your on-screen confections sweet, there are a couple that might be dark enough to be worth skipping. Read on for our take, from best to worst, of the holiday movies Netflix has released so far this year.

A Castle for Christmas...

Just three weeks after hitting theaters, the Kristen Stewart-starring “Spencer” is finding success beyond the multiplex, thanks to a rapid theatrical-to-vod release strategy. The awards contender hit PVOD the day before “House of Gucci” arrived in theaters, and right before major groups start awarding their annual prizes.

The potential for more awards attention could help its overall revenue in the coming weeks, but even in its first week on PVOD, Pablo Larrain’s portrait of a sliver of Princess Diana’s life enjoyed a strong initial showing. The film is already #4 on Apple TV/iTunes and #8 on Vudu, and #12 on the usually lagging Google Play list. Distributor Neon receives the same box office and VOD take on its films as the top studios, but with a vastly smaller investment. “Spencer” — which has grossed under $7 million — could prove very profitable.

Elsewhere, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” (Sony/$19.99) began what will...

Photo: ‘A Castle for Christmas’ Every year as the holiday season rolls around, there is an overflow of holiday movies that indeed never disappoint, and Netflix’s ‘A Castle for Christmas’ is no exception. If you’re a holiday lover like me, then this truly is the best time of the year because all of the films, including classic or new, are genuinely enough to bring in the holiday joy. If you’re not a huge holiday movie lover, I think you will still enjoy the storyline for ‘A Castle for Christmas.’ ‘A Castle for Christmas’ is set to release on November 26 on Netflix and is sure not to disappoint. Related article: Exclusive: 'Dune' Full Commentary, Reactions, Making Of - Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac Related article: 'No Time to Die' Full Commentary, Behind the Scenes & Reactions, Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Bond Related article: 'No Time to Die...

Despite its smattering of shortcomings, “A Castle For Christmas” is gently disarming, heartening, holiday-themed escapism that’s as satisfying as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night. Director Mary Lambert’s romcom is centered on a divorcée who, after a public meltdown, buys a castle in Scotland, meets a dreamy duke and regains her creative vitality. Trading cloying for cute, treacly for tolerable, and caustic for comforting, its sincere, aspirational sentiments about it never being too late to write your own second chapter feel genuinely meaningful, making up for its struggles to pay off unrequited setups.

Sophie Brown (Brooke Shields) is a successful romcom novelist, having released a dozen books in the popular “Emma Gale” series. However, the celebrated author has recently come under fire by her fans since choosing to kill off her protagonist’s love interest — a creative decision motivated by her own bitter...

For those looking to add some holiday cheer to this year’s Thanksgiving festivities, you’re in luck! It’s already “the most wonderful time of the year” for holiday movie lovers, as several new festive films are debuting across network TV and streaming this Turkey Day weekend. Airing holiday-themed films since October, Hallmark Channel and Lifetime have your post-dinner plans set with new movies debuting all weekend long. And Gac Family will celebrate with three new family-friendly films, along with The CW special The Waltons’ Homecoming. On streaming, Netflix is getting into the Christmas spirit with A Castle for Christmas, starring Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes, along with the star-studded new Santa Claus origin story, A Boy Called Christmas, featuring Maggie Smith, Kristen Wiig, and Michiel Huisman, among many others. Below, check out all the brand-new holiday films premiering this Thanksgiving weekend! (*note: times are listed Et/Pt). Thursday,...

Cary Elwes is a busy man.

In addition to appearing in the highly anticipated (and secretive) Mission: Impossible 7, the iconic English actor is a part of the upcoming Guy Ritchie project, Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre.

Elwes is also making his first return to the rom-com world since The Princess Bride (1987) in Nextflix’s A Castle for Christmas, which premieres Nov. 26. And just for good (holiday) measure, he also stars with Michael Sheen in Last Train to Christmas, which will debut on the British subscription film service Sky Cinema on Dec. 18.

The Hollywood Reporter recently caught up with Elwes to discuss his current ...

Cary Elwes is a busy man.

In addition to appearing in the highly anticipated (and secretive) Mission: Impossible 7, the iconic English actor is a part of the upcoming Guy Ritchie project, Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre.

Elwes is also making his first return to the rom-com world since The Princess Bride (1987) in Nextflix’s A Castle for Christmas, which premieres Nov. 26. And just for good (holiday) measure, he also stars with Michael Sheen in Last Train to Christmas, which will debut on the British subscription film service Sky Cinema on Dec. 18.

The Hollywood Reporter recently caught up with Elwes to discuss his current ...

I had a great time talking to Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes about their Netflix romcom holiday film “A Castle for Christmas.” In the movie directed by Mary Lambert, Shields is Sophie Brown, a bestselling author who suffers a career scandal and decides to recuperate in the gorgeous scenery of Scotland where she falls

The post “A Castle for Christmas” appeared first on Manny the Movie Guy.

This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings and monthly guide to What’s on Streaming.

With nearly 500 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.

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Netflix has released the first look of Lindsay Lohan’s forthcoming Christmas rom-com, which is still untitled. Lohan has largely foregone acting in recent years, so this movie — which will stream during the holiday season next year — marks her return to the screen. In “Untitled Holiday Rom-Com,” Lohan stars opposite Chord Overstreet.

Variety exclusively broke the news of Lohan’s Netflix movie in May.

In the movie, Lohan plays a “newly engaged, spoiled hotel heiress” (according to the logline), who gets amnesia after a skiing accident and “finds herself in the care of a handsome, blue-collar lodge owner” — that would be Overstreet — “and his precocious daughter in the days leading up to Christmas.”

George Young, Jack Wagner and Olivia Perez are also in the cast.

Netflix has made a robust business out of Christmas fare, and its original movies such as “Jingle Jangle,” “A Christmas Prince,” “The Christmas Chronicles” and...

Nina Dobrev gets catfished in a pleasant, if mostly unoriginal, Christmas comedy

It might only be early November but ’tis already the season for Netflix to litter its halls with boughs of cheap Christmas content, the most obvious time of the year for the streamer to model itself after the Lifetime and Hallmark channels, a strategy that’s undoubtedly, somewhat depressingly, paying off.

Last year’s truly execrable A California Christmas was the streamer’s biggest film for a week, beating out bigger-budget options (a sequel drops next month), despite being almost maliciously incompetent, following on from the continued success of The Princess Switch franchise. And so this year there’s more questionable options than ever, from Brooke Shields in A Castle for Christmas, Elizabeth Hurley in Father Christmas is Back and Netflix’s first LGBTQ Christmas comedy, Single All the Way.

“Glee” actor Chord Overstreet is set to star alongside Lindsay Lohan in Netflix’s upcoming holiday romantic comedy.

The film, which does not have a title yet, will also feature George Young (“Malignant”), Jack Wagner and Olivia Perez (“In the Heights”). Its release date will be announced at a later time.

Lohan, in her first acting role in years, is playing a newly engaged, spoiled hotel heiress who gets into a skiing accident and suffers from total amnesia. During her recovery, around Christmastime, she finds herself in the care of a handsome, blue-collar lodge owner and his precocious daughter. Overstreet is portraying the male lead, who is the love interest of Lohan’s character.

Along with “Glee,” in which he portrayed Sam Evans across several seasons, Overstreet has appeared in episodes of various television series, such as “The Middle,” “The Bold Type” and “iCarly.” He also had a role in “Glee: The 3D Concert Movie.

One of the many great things about Christmas movies is their titles: "A Castle For Christmas" is indeed, exactly what you're picturing. Brooke Shields plays a woman who journeys to Scotland to buy herself a castle ... for Christmas. And à la "A Christmas Prince," there's no point traveling to a European country and staying in a grand, gorgeous setting if you're not gonna fall in love too! So thanks to some elaborately orchestrated circumstances and the tried-and-true cliche of enemies to lovers, "A Castle For Christmas" sees Netflix continuing to embrace the holiday rom-com.

You can watch the...

The post A Castle for Christmas: Cary Elwes Does a Scottish Accent in Netflix's Latest Holiday Rom-Com appeared first on /Film.

"Maybe this is my next chapter..." Netflix has released the first official trailer for A Castle for Christmas, a charming romantic comedy holiday movie debuting on Thanksgiving week later this month. The latest film from the intrepid filmmaker Mary Lambert. Famed author Sophie Brown travels to Scotland hoping to buy a small castle, but the prickly owner Duke Myles is reluctant to sell to a foreigner. Working to find a compromise, the pair constantly butt heads, but they may just find something more than they were expecting. Starring two talented "where have they been?" actors: Cary Elwes and Brooke Shields. And a cast including Vanessa Grasse, Suanne Braun, Lee Ross, Andi Osho, Mark Fleischmann, and Eilidh Loan. This looks like the most adorable Christmas movie that's destined to become a new holiday classic! Lots of cheesiness and charm. And a giant castle! And Cary Elwes back to woo another lass!