For many, those cozy evenings watching Christmas movies are the best part of the holidays. Lucky for us, there are tons of Los Angeles movie theaters screening all of the most classic Christmas movies, including Elf, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Love Actually, Home Alone, The Muppet Christmas Carol, of course, Die Hard (IYKYK). From charming nights at Yuletide Cinemaland to cozy open-air screenings at Rooftop Cinema Club, here’s your ultimate guide to Christmas movies in LA theaters. Settle in with a festive drink or hot chocolate and lean right into that holiday nostalgia…
1. Alamo Drafthouse
Alamo Drafthouse is a national movie theater chain known for serving food directly to your seat, and the DTLA location is a popular haunt for local cinephiles. They have a robust comfort food menu and a great craft beer selection, but make sure you take a look at the Wicked Holiday Wonderland Menu being served at all screenings through Jan. 13, 2025. It includes fun drinks like the Defying Gravi-Tea with Irish whiskey, the Witch’s Brew horchata with Malibu coconut rum, and the Candy Cane Shake.
📍 Location: Downtown LA – The Bloc, 700 W 7th St Ste. U240, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Alamo Drafthouse holiday movie screenings
- Dec. 11 – Klaus
- Dec. 17, 18, 22, 23 – Elf
- Dec. 11 – Gremlins
- Dec. 13, 14, 16, 17, 18 – Black Christmas
- Dec. 22, 23 – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- Dec. 24 – It’s A Wonderful Life
- Dec. 24 – Terrifier 3
2. Rooftop Cinema Club
Rooftop Cinema Club has brought back its Fireside Films series to keep us cozy through the winter. Each loveseat or Adirondack chair comes with its own personal wood-burning stove, and you can opt for a blanket for an extra fee. Grab a pair of personal headphones, snuggle up with a cup of hot cocoa, tea, or apple cider, and enjoy the film without catching a chill.
📍 Location: Downtown LA – 888 S Olive St 4th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Rooftop Cinema Club holiday movie screenings
- Dec. 12, 21 – Serendipity
- Dec. 13, 20, 24 – Elf
- Dec. 13, 20, 24 – Home Alone
- Dec. 13 – This Christmas
- Dec. 14 (sold out), 21 – The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Dec. 14, 23 – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- Dec. 14 – The Night Before
- Dec. 15 (sold out) – How The Grinch Stole Christmas
- Dec. 16 – Love Actually
- Dec. 17 – Family Man
- Dec. 19 – The Office: Holiday Party (two screenings)
- Dec. 20 – Friday After Next
- Dec. 21 – Die Hard
- Dec. 22 – It’s a Wonderful Life
- Dec. 22 – The Best Man Holiday
- Dec. 23 – The Holiday
- Dec. 26 – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
3. Yuletide Cinemaland at Street Food Cinema
Street Food Cinema’s Yuletide Cinemaland presents open-air movies picnic-style at Pasadena’s Heritage Square Museum. Bundle up for a merry evening watching Christmas movies under the stars, and make sure you plan extra time to make the most of the on-site craft market, food trucks, and holiday lights.
📍 Location: Pasadena – Heritage Square Museum, 3545 Pasadena Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90065
Yuletide Cinemaland holiday movie screenings
- Dec. 13 – Edward Scissorhands
- Dec. 13 – Violent Night
- Dec. 14 – How The Grinch Stole Christmas
- Dec. 14 – Polar Express
- Dec. 19 – The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Dec. 19 – Love Actually
- Dec. 20 – A Christmas Story
- Dec. 20 – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- Dec. 21 – The Muppet Christmas Carol
- Dec. 21 – Gremlins
- Dec. 22 – Home Alone Double Feature
- Dec. 23 – Elf
4. The Hollywood Roosevelt
Did you know that the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel hosts public movie screenings every week? This month, they’ll alternate the pop-up theater between the Tropicana Pool and the Cinegrill Theater. You can get towels, blankets, and heaters at the pool on a first-come, first-served basis.
📍 Location: Hollywood – 7000 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Hollywood Roosevelt holiday movie screenings
- Dec. 11 – The Godfather (Cinegrill)
- Dec. 12 – Home Alone (Tropicana)
- Dec. 19 – Elf (Tropicana)
- Dec. 25 – It’s A Wonderful Life (Cinegrill)
- Dec. 26 – Die Hard (Tropicana)
- Jan. 1 – Love Actually (Cinegrill)
5. American Cinematheque
American Cinematheque presents a nice lineup of Christmas movies at three LA theaters: the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, The Los Feliz 3 Theatre in Los Feliz, and the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Their screenings are popular among local movie buffs for having a nice variety of indies, cult classics, and new releases.
American Cinematheque holiday movie screenings
Egyptian Theatre
- Dec. 14 – Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
- Dec. 21 – Die Hard
- Dec. 24 – It’s A Wonderful Life
📍 Location: Hollywood – 6712 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Los Feliz 3 Theatre
- Dec. 19, 21, 22 – Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point
- Dec. 23 – Bad Santa
📍 Location: Los Feliz – 1822 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Aero Theatre
- Dec. 21 – The Muppet Christmas Carol
- Dec. 22 – The Polar Express 3D
- Dec. 23 – It’s A Wonderful Life
- Dec. 24 – Elf
📍 Location: Santa Monica – 1328 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403
6. New Beverly Cinema
Quentin Tarantino owns this historic LA movie theater presenting films in 35mm. You’ll find a carefully curated lineup of classic and contemporary films here, plus some new releases. The holiday schedule includes multiple screenings of Elf, It’s A Wonderful Life, Die Hard, and more — see the full schedule below.
📍 Location: Fairfax – 7165 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
New Beverly Cinema holiday movie screenings
- Dec. 14 – Cartoon Club (Holiday Edition)
- Dec. 14, 15 – Elf
- Dec. 17, 18, 19 – It’s A Wonderful Life
- Dec. 21, 22 – The Muppet Christmas Carol
- Dec. 21, 22 – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- Dec. 23, 24 – Die Hard
7. Melrose Rooftop
This 21+, outdoor rooftop theater in WeHo is a great centrally-located option for Christmas movies in LA this winter. They present a reliable mix of classics and new releases, and this December we’re enjoying a different holiday movie almost daily until Christmas. Each guest gets a personal beanbag chair and an individual wireless headset to enjoy the film, and you can order food and snacks to your seat.
📍 Location: West Hollywood – 603 N La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Melrose Rooftop holiday movie screenings
- Dec. 12 – The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Dec. 13 – The Santa Clause 2
- Dec. 15 – The Muppet Christmas Carol
- Dec. 16 – Four Christmases
- Dec. 17 – The Polar Express
- Dec. 18 – Bad Santa
- Dec. 19 – The Holiday
- Dec. 21 – Gremlins
- Dec. 22 – Love Actually
- Dec. 23 – How The Grinch Stole Christmas
- Dec. 24 – Elf
8. More Christmas movies in theaters around LA
In addition to the aforementioned screenings, many more of LA’s biggest movie theater chains are showing Christmas films this season. Below is a quick rundown of movies to look out for in national theater chains including AMC, Regal, and Cinemark, but you can get more details about Christmas screenings in your area here.
- Red One – A new Christmas film starring Dwayne Johnson is currently showing at AMC, Regal, Cinemark, and more.
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – Judy Greer and Pete Holmes star in this new Christmas film showing at Cinemark and more theaters.
- White Christmas 70th Anniversary – Select theaters are showing this classic film on Dec. 14, 15, and 16 in honor of its 70th anniversary.
- The Polar Express – The Harkins Cerritos 16, some Regal theaters, and some AMCs are screening The Polar Express this season.
- Elf – Regal, AMC, and more theaters are screening Elf on select dates in December.
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – Some AMC and Cinepolis theaters are showing this holiday classic in December.
- It’s A Wonderful Life – The Cinemark Carson is showing this 1946 classic on Dec. 14.
- Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch – Some AMC theaters are showing The Grinch in December.
- Love Actually – See this beloved classic at select AMC theaters before Christmas.
- Black Christmas – See this 1974 Christmas horror film at Universal Cinema AMC.
- A Christmas Story – Harkins Cerritos 16 is showing A Christmas Story on Dec. 13, 15, and 16.
And as a bonus… Home Alone in Concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall
On the weekend before Christmas, the LA Philharmonic will present a highly-anticipated live film soundtrack concert for the movie Home Alone. The illustrious Hollywood Bowl Orchestra will fill the Walt Disney Concert Hall with a live rendition of John Williams’ memorable score. Consider arriving early in your best holiday sweater to participate in “Ugly Sweaters & Trivia” in BP Hall.
🗓️ Dates: Performances are at 2pm and 8pm on Saturday, Dec. 21 and Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024
📍 Location: Downtown LA – Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012