Given its reputation as being, you know, the biggest and best Christmas movie of all-time, you might think that 1946’s It’s A Wonderful Life would’ve made a killing at the box office.
For years after its release, It’s A Wonderful Life was considered something of a disappointment by both audiences and the people who made it — even though it went on to receive five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.
It was only when the movie became a syndication mainstay that it finally earned its reputation as a Christmas masterpiece.
Actually, it flat-out bombed at the box office, failing to recoup the $6.3 million it would need to break even.