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You might be surprised to learn which Hallmark movie has the unique distinction of getting the most views out of all the network’s films. It’s not a recent movie that premiered. It’s not one of the “Wedding Veil” films. In fact, it’s an older film from a few years ago, and there’s a brand-new mystery around the film that just developed.
A Candace Cameron Bure Film Is the Most-Viewed Hallmark Movie
A Candace Cameron Bure film has the distinction of being the most-viewed on the night of its premiere. According to Variety, “Christmas Under Wraps” is the “most watched Hallmark Christmas special ever.”
The movie premiered in 2014 and had nearly six million viewers on its premiere night alone, Variety shared.
That’s actually quite a bit higher than Hallmark’s recent ratings records. However, Hallmark’s newer debut numbers likely don’t include numbers from streaming networks that viewers may use outside of cable TV, like Frndly streaming views.
In 2021, the most-viewed Hallmark Christmas movies in terms of same-day numbers were “Christmas at Castle Hart” with 3.31 million and “My Christmas Family Tree” with 3.27 million views. Also in the top lineup were “A Royal Queens Christmas” with 3.23 million views, “The Christmas Contest” starring Candace Cameron Bure with 2.95 million live viewers, and Tyler Hynes’ “An Unexpected Christmas” at 2.92 million viewers.
Hallmark’s Christmas in July film for 2022, “My Grown-Up Christmas List,” was the most-watched cable program on the night of its premiere with 2.055 million viewers.
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Bure confirmed that it’s the highest-rated move in an Instagram comment.
Rumors Swirled About a Possible ‘Christmas Under Wraps’ Sequel This Year
“Christmas Under Wraps” stars Bure as Dr. Lauren Brunell, David O’Donnell as Andy Holliday, Robert Pine as Henry Brunell, Kendra Mylnechuk as Billie, Brian Doyle-Murray as Frank Holliday, Joyce Cohen as Maggie Brunell, James Gaisford as Wyatt, Page Petrucka as Hattie, Anita Rice as Faith Holliday, Robert Bear as Clay, Bryce Fernelius as Nate, Jacque Gray as Melissa, and more.
The synopsis reads: “When an aspiring surgeon is turned down for a fellowship, she takes a temporary position working as a GP in a small Alaskan town in an effort to boost her résumé.” The town in the movie is called Garland, Alaska.
It was directed by Peter Sullivan and written by Sullivan, Jeffrey Schenck, and George Erschbamer.
Here’s where things get a bit confusing. Some rumors were circulating that a new movie this year was a sequel to Bure’s movie, but not starring Bure.
Jodie Sweetin is starring in “A Cozy Christmas Inn,” a new Hallmark movie premiering on October 28. The movie stars Sweetin and David O’Donnell, who also starred in “Christmas Under Wraps.”
Hallmark’s synopsis reads: “Real estate exec, Erika, travels to Alaska during the holidays to acquire a B&B, only to discover it’s owned by her ex. Soon she is falling in love with the town and quite possibly him.”
IMDb’s listing refers to the movie as having an alternate title of “Christmas Under Wraps 2: Holliday Inn Love.” And SleepyKittyPaw noted that the movie was filmed in December in Utah, and the same writer who wrote “Christmas Under Wraps” also wrote “Cozy Christmas Inn.”
Sweetin is playing a character named Erika McNicoll. And IMDb lists O’Donnell’s character as being named Andy Holliday — the same name his character had in Bure’s movie. Also listed are Brian Doyle-Murray as Frank Holliday and Anita Rice as Faith Holliday.
Back in mid-December, O’Donnell shared a video from Utah, likely while he was filming the movie. When he posted about being in Utah on December 9, one person replied, “How come you’re never in Hallmark Movies anymore? Watching Christmas Under Wraps again and you’re one of my favorites!❤️😍👏” He wrote back, “patience my friend 😘.”
So while some signs do seem to indicate this might be a sequel, Hallmark hasn’t announced it as such. It will be interesting to learn more in the coming weeks.