The best Christmas movie is a box office disaster saved by corporate greed

By Jonathan Klotz | Published 1 hour ago

People can debate whether die hard Whether it’s a Christmas movie or whether it’s Hallmark or Lifetime that has the best Christmas catalog, but there’s no doubt that when it comes to Christmas, nothing can compare to It’s a wonderful life. A staple of Christmas viewing for generations, the 1946 film starring Jimmy Stewart is not only the best Christmas movie of all time, but one of the best films ever made. And yet, if it weren’t for the fact that its copyright expired in the ’70s during the rise of television, it would have been lost forever.

A box office disaster

It’s an ironic twist that the film, about a man who feels he has nothing left to live for until his guardian angel saves him and shows the difference he’s made in the world, was also about to fade into obscurity. . Except instead of Clarence the Angel coming to the rescue, it was desperate network executives looking for a cheap way to fill airtime, and when the copyrights on It’s a wonderful life expired, could be replayed multiple times each Christmas season, and cost them almost nothing (just royalties for adapting the original story it was based on, The best gift). Before constant rebroadcasting and networks touting the film as a Christmas classic, it was known as a box office failure.

It’s a wonderful life It lost money for the RKO production company, more than $500,000 in 1946, or more than $8 million if adjusted for inflation. At the box office, the film grossed $3 million, barely beating out another Christmas classic. Miracle on 34th Street. Considering the esteem in which the film is held today, it’s surprising to look back and realize that in 1946 no one cared.

Hated by critics

Over the years, It’s a wonderful life has gone through ups and downs in the public’s eyes, and every few years a backlash forms against it arguing that the film really isn’t any good, and then it’s reevaluated and then shot down again, in an endless cycle of criticism and cynicism. Critics of 1946 felt the same, with most praising both Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed for their performances, but also criticizing the film for its optimism and a maudlin plot that supposedly went too far into sentimentality just a year after the finale. of the most devastating conflict. in human history.

It’s a wonderful life is actually a pretty dark movie, at first, as we follow Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey as he clashes with the evil banker, Mr. Potter, played by Lionel Barrymore, and yes, he is Drew Barryome’s great-uncle, by the way. lost money and land rights. That’s most of the movie, which is a bold decision that pays off when George wishes he’d never been born and Clarence, the angel, grants him his wish. We now see that no matter how hard his life seemed, the world was worse off without George, and no matter what one thinks of the film itself, the message behind it is important.

One person makes a difference

The Christmas season can be joyful and a time to be close to loved ones, but it is also one of the most depressing times of the year for people who feel like they have no family or friends and might begin to wonder what the world would be like. as without them. It’s a wonderful life tackles this head on and in the end it becomes clear that one person can make a difference and that the world is better with George Bailey in it. No matter the year, no matter what has happened since 1946, that message that you matter, that you make a difference, and that the world is better with you in it will continue to mean something.

Although It’s a wonderful life was saved from the trash by stingy network executives and artificially marketed to become a Christmas classic, it has finally been recognized as one of the greatest films ever made. The 1970s marketing campaign wasn’t a lie; He was simply ahead of his time.

you can transmit It’s a wonderful life today for free, including an abbreviated version in Amazon Primeor the full version at The Roku Channel.