5 Highest-Grossing Christmas Movies

Nothing amps up the holiday spirit like a good old-fashioned Christmas movie. Though these movies may have relatively short lives in theaters as a result of their seasonal appeal, many of these films bring in an impressive amount in sales, especially as people add the films to their home DVD collections or revisit theaters to catch these family favorites as they're replayed for years to come.

Inspired by the 1966 animated version of the timeless Dr. Seuss book that follows the Grinch as he discovers the true meaning of Christmas, this live-action version stars Jim Carey as the Grinch himself and was directed by Ron Howard. The film has grossed $260,044,825 at the domestic box office since Universal released it in 2000.

Coming in a ways behind "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" at $183,155,888 domestic gross earnings is "The Polar Express." This animated film is about a magical train that's making its journey to the North Pole. The film stars Tom Hanks as one of the many voice actors. The film was released in 2004 and is one of several films released by Warner Brothers that make the list of top-ranking holiday films.

This festive favorite stars Will Ferrell as a human who believes he is an elf, and the film follows him as he comes to New York City to meet his biological father. This film takes third spot, having a gross income of $173,389,518 at the domestic box office. It was released in 2003 by New Line Cinema.

This film, along with its two sequels: "The Santa Clause 2," and "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause," have all done quite well for Buena Vista, a division of Walt Disney Pictures. The films have grossed $144,833,357, $139,236,327 and $84,500,122 respectively. Tim Allen has played the starring role as Santa Claus throughout this series, making it the highest-grossing Christmas film franchise.

Though there may be many versions of this Charles Dickens' classic that inspires a season of generosity and kindness that have come out over the years, one of them has taken the top spot in terms of overall earnings. Jim Carrey played several parts in 2009's version released by Buena Vista. This release took in $137,855,863 in gross earnings at the domestic box office.