Whether you ask about the film itself or the principle of what makes a Christmas movie, only three in ten Brits believe Die Hard is a Christmas film

There has long been a strand of opinion that holds that Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Because the film is set at Christmas time (and, arguably, contains Christmassy themes in among all the shooting) some people hold that this makes Die Hard a festive flick.

However, new YouGov Omnibus data reveals that this is a minority belief and that the British public does not consider Die Hard to be a Christmas film.

On Monday YouGov outraged some die hard Die Hard fans by proclaiming that the public does not think Die Hard is a Christmas movie on the basis that, while it takes place at Christmas time, the movie is not about Christmas itself.

Exactly half of Britons (50%) say that they do not consider movies that are set at, but are not about, Christmas to be Christmas movies, compared to only 31% who do (the final 19% don’t know).

Now a new survey explicitly about Die Hard backs this up with almost identical results. Asked whether they think that Die Hard is a Christmas movie, half of Brits (52%) do not think it is, compared to just 30% who do. (The remaining 18% don’t know one way or the other).

Only 25-34 year olds were more likely to say Die Hard is a Christmas movie than not, and even then the Christmas Die Hard view hasn’t captured the majority of the age group (44% say it is compared to 37% who say it isn’t).

So while “yippee ki-yay” isn't a Christmas catchphrase, there may yet be a glimmer of hope – next year is expected to see the release of the sixth and final Die Hard film (Die Hardest).

With the plot split between the present day and John McClane’s time as a beat cop in 1970s New York, the movie could be the last chance, however unlikely, to make a true Die Hard Christmas film.

Photo: Twentieth Century Fox

See the results on the principle here and on Die Hard itself here

Find out more about YouGov Omnibus research