The Hallmark Channel is hoping to cheer up audiences adjusting to a new, more isolated reality with nostalgia and holiday cheer.
Just one day after the start of spring, Hallmark will kick off a weekendlong “We Need a Little Christmas” marathon featuring 27 of its original holiday movies. The festive, if unseasonable, fun kicks off Friday with “A Christmas Detour,” starring Candace Cameron Bure, and concludes on Sunday with “Christmas in Rome,” featuring Lacey Chabert and Sam Page.
Entertainment Tonight first reported the lineup Wednesday afternoon, and on the following day, the Hallmark Channel itself confirmed the news with a Yuletide-themed post on Twitter:
Other highlights include “A Christmas Love Story,” “Christmas at Graceland: Home for the Holidays” and Dolly Parton’s “Christmas at Dollywood.”
The marathon comes as Hollywood’s spring release schedule has become significantly reduced in the wake of the global coronavirus outbreak.
Movies including “No Time to Die,” “A Quiet Place Part II” and the live-action remake of Disney’s “Mulan,” all originally slated to hit theaters in March or April, will now debut later in the calendar year. In addition, major chains like AMC Theaters and Regal Cinemas have closed their locations across the United States.
Film executives believe the impact of this unanticipated downtime will linger even after the pandemic subsides.
“This is where streaming becomes normalized for the world and it’s going to be disastrous for the entire industry,” David Unger, chief executive of Artist International Group, told Vulture earlier in March. “It’s going to change viewing patterns. It’s going to change the way people consume entertainment.”