BECAUSE THEY HAVE GOOD TASTE?:

Sam Neill, who plays the villain, usually takes to Twitter to share his confusion at the annual tradition. In 2017, he told Aftonbladet that the Swedish love of Ivanhoe was "an odd habit" and "the most bizarre thing I've ever heard".

So just what is it that Swedes enjoy about the film?

Part of it is simply tradition; perhaps it could have just as easily been any other story that got told and retold every New Year's Day. And it's a bonus that once it begins, everyone knows exactly what will happen for the next the two and a half hours, meaning that family and friends can still chat while it's on in the background. With both action-packed fighting scenes and a love triangle, it provides plenty to discuss.

The holiday season includes comfort television across most of the world, with a focus on classic stories that can appeal to the whole family. The other obvious example in Sweden is the traditional hour of Disney cartoons shown at 3pm on Christmas Eve.

Still, Ivanhoe isn't quite as popular as Kalle Anka (Donald Duck) which is watched by almost half of Sweden, and typically pulls in a few hundred thousand viewers.

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