Which Hallmark Movie Is Your State In Love With?
Last Updated on December 5, 2018 by hilary bird
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and if you’re like more than half of all Americans, you’re already stockpiling chocolate, roses, and candy galore. You might also be about to indulge in one of America’s most popular February pastimes: watching your favorite Hallmark movies.
“Their movies are as comforting as programming can be,” said movie producer Brad Krevoy in an interview for a Business Insider article. This is in part because viewers can always rely on a happy ending and a feel-good vibe throughout each flick.
The Hallmark Channel—home to hundreds of feel-good romance and holiday movies—is one of the only cable channels that saw an uptick in views over the past few years. With 85 million reported viewers in November and December of 2016, Hallmark often tied for viewership with ESPN and Fox News. Whether you adore Hallmark movies or think they’re too saccharine to make for good TV, the channel is destined to remain one of the most popular (and powerful) around.
Below, you’ll find each continental state’s favorite 2017 Hallmark original. The analyst team at Internet Service Partners used IMDB’s list of the most popular Hallmark movies made in 2017. We plugged each of the top ten movie titles into Google Search Trends to determine which state was searching for which movie most frequently. Our time range was Jan 1, 2017 to Jan 1, 2018.
#1: Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts
Fourteen states searched Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts more frequently than any other Hallmark movie on our list, making it the most popular Hallmark movie nationwide.
If you haven’t seen the film, you can guess based on the title that this movie isn’t your typical cozy romance. Instead, it’s the latest in a series of five film adaptations of Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen murder mystery series. The films and books follow professional baker Hannah Swensen as she works to solve murder mysteries, butting heads (and kindling romantic tension) with Detective Mike Kingston.
The Murder, She Baked series’ popularity indicates that Americans prefer their romances with a healthy dose of suspense that can bring the heroine and hero together for good.
Murder, She Baked ranked first in the following states and districts:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- The District of Columbia
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Montana
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- South Dakota
#2: The Christmas Cottage
The Christmas Cottage tells the story of Lacey Quinn, a woman who, in spite of being engaged and acting as the maid of honor for her best friend, doesn’t believe in true love. Her feelings might change when she and her former beau are stranded at the Christmas Cottage, the cozy cabin Lacey is decorating for the bride to be and where couples who stay overnight are destined for lasting true love.
Along with illustrating Hallmark watchers’ love of Christmas movies, The Christmas Cottage’s popularity indicates that Americans are looking for reasons to overcome cynicism and believe in idealism this year.
The Christmas Cottage took the cake in the following states:
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Utah
- West Virginia
#3: The Birthday Wish
In The Birthday Wish, the main character, Gwen, desperately wants her boyfriend to propose to her. A supernatural twist lets her pay a visit to the future, where she learns that a different romantic outcome could be better for her in the long run.
The movie features recurring Hallmark heartthrob Luke MacFarlane along with a healthy dose of cuddly on-screen puppies, so it’s little wonder this film was the top search in states as far apart as California and Massachusetts:
- California
- Florida
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- New York
- Texas
If you want to check out The Birthday Wish for yourself, it next airs on Hallmark on Friday, March 9th.
#4: A Royal Winter and My Favorite Wedding
A Royal Winter and My Favorite Wedding tied for fourth place, with each film coming in first in five states. A Royal Winter follows an American tourist in Europe who falls in love with a man who, unbeknownst to her, is a prince about to be crowned king.
In contrast, My Favorite Wedding revolves around a true-love skeptic (played by Maggie Lawson of Psych fame) who finds herself intrigued by a fellow skeptic in the wedding party—one whose career as a divorce lawyer might make him an even unlikelier catch.
States that favored A Royal Winter’s fairytale romance include:
- Alabama
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Missouri
And areas that identified with the more cynical Lawson in My Favorite Wedding include:
- Illinois
- Maryland
- South Carolina
- Virginia
- Washington
Find out what the buzz is about by watching it live: A Royal Winter is airing on Hallmark on February 23 while My Favorite Wedding will make an appearance on March 3.
#5: Love on Ice and The Art of Us
Love on Ice explores the romance between a former ice skating champion and the new coach who believes she can succeed—perfect viewing for the Winter Olympics season.
Meanwhile, The Art of Us appeals to romantics, artists, and dog lovers alike as it tells the story of Harper Higgins, an art college fellow seeking tenure who might have found her best source of inspiration in her handsome dog walker.
Three states favored Love on Ice more than the others:
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
And these three preferred The Art of Us:
- Georgia
- Oklahoma
- Wisconsin
Love on Ice is slated for rebroadcast on February 18th, closer to Valentine’s Day than the other movies on this list, so give it a whirl if you want a romantic lift after the holiday ends.
#6: Falling for Vermont and Royal New Years Eve
It’s no surprise that Falling for Vermont is the most popular movie in Vermont and the nearby state of Rhode Island. In this romance, a famous author’s car crashes outside a small town in Vermont, where a single dad invites her to stay in his guesthouse until she regains her memory.
The nation’s other sixth-favorite Hallmark movie offers the same ambiance of A Royal Winter. In Royal New Year’s Eve, a fashion designer named Caitlyn works alongside heir-to-the-throne Prince Jeffrey to plan a New Year’s ball where Jeffrey is supposed to propose to another woman, sealing an important political alliance. But as Caitlyn and Jeffrey start to fall in love, they have to decide whether romance is more important than tradition and the state of the nation. This class-upset film was the favorite of Arkansas and Michigan.
Whatever your Hallmark Original of choice, there’s no question that Hallmark hits a soft spot for many in America. Do you have a passion for any of the films listed above? Is Hallmark one of the main reasons you hang on to your current TV and internet subscription? Is the most popular Hallmark film in your state your favorite, too, or do you prefer another film to the ones listed here?
Most importantly, is your go-to Hallmark movie queued up and ready to go for Valentine’s Day?
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