It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

It’s a Wonderful Life
Theatrical Performance
Domestic Box Office $12,241,691Details
International Box Office $4,178,901Details
Worldwide Box Office $16,420,592
Home Market Performance
Est. Domestic Blu-ray Sales $7,004,815 Details
Total Est. Domestic Video Sales $7,004,815
OpusData ID: 43210100
Further financial details...

Metrics

Legs:16.67 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:74.6% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$3,180,000 (worldwide box office is 5.2 times production budget)

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists

RecordRankAmount
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 5,001-5,100) 5,084 $12,241,691
All Time International Box Office (Rank 7,301-7,400) 7,384 $4,178,901
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 6,301-6,400) 6,332 $16,420,592

See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.


Movie Details

Domestic Releases: December 20th, 1946 (Limited), released as It's a Wonderful Life
December 18th, 2022 (Wide) by Fathom Events
International Releases: February 6th, 1948 (Limited) (Australia)
December 11th, 2007 (Limited), released as It's A Wonderful Life (Re: 2007) (United Kingdom)
December 9th, 2010 (Wide) (New Zealand)
December 14th, 2018 (Limited), released as It's a Wonderful Life (4K Restoration) (United Kingdom)
December 10th, 2020 (Limited) (Australia)
... Show all releases
Video Release: October 31st, 2006 by Paramount Home Video
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements, smoking and some violence. Rating is for 2012 Re-Issue of film from Paramount Pictures Corporation
(Rating bulletin 2251 (Cert #48082), 12/5/2012)
Running Time: 130 minutes
Comparisons: vs. The Wizard of Oz
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Heaven and Hell, Voiceover/Narration, Non-Chronological, Christmas, Angels, Suicide, Class Warfare, Supernatural, Studio Sinkers
Source:Original Screenplay
Genre:Drama
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Contemporary Fiction
Production Countries: United States
Languages: English

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 5,001-5,100) 5,084 $12,241,691
All Time Domestic Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 4,301-4,400) 4,328 $12,241,691
All Time Domestic Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 2,701-2,800) 2,730 $12,241,691
All Time Domestic Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 4,501-4,600) 4,551 $12,241,691
All Time Domestic Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 2,701-2,800) 2,712 $12,241,691
All Time Domestic Box Office for Drama Movies (Rank 901-1,000) 995 $12,241,691
All Time Domestic Box Office for PG Movies (Rank 1,001-1,100) 1,087 $12,241,691

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Dec 18, 2020 - $44,000   250 $176   $6,644,000 3,862
Dec 16, 2022 8 $734,571   960 $765   $11,557,472 3,966

Daily Box Office Performance

DateRankGross%YD%LWTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossDays
Dec 18, 2022 4 $734,571     960 $765   $11,557,472 27,758
Dec 19, 2022 - $26,703 -96%   186 $144   $11,584,175 27,759
Dec 20, 2022 - $33,812 +27%   140 $242   $11,617,987 27,760
Dec 21, 2022 6 $578,703 +1,612%   960 $603   $12,196,690 27,761
Dec 22, 2022 - $30,490 -95%   49 $622   $12,227,180 27,762
Dec 23, 2022 - $14,511 -52%   43 $337   $12,241,691 27,763

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Dec 16, 2022 7 $1,404,279   49 $28,659   $12,227,180 3,966

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date		 Opening
Weekend		 Opening
Weekend
Screens		 Maximum
Screens		 Theatrical
Engagements		 Total
Box Office		 Report
Date
Australia 2/6/1948 $0 0 12 21 $8,731 1/4/2021
New Zealand 12/9/2010 $0 0 2 10 $1,262 12/28/2023
United Kingdom 12/11/2007 $0 0 347 2,027 $4,168,908 12/25/2024
 
International Total$4,178,901 12/25/2024

International Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time International Box Office (Rank 7,301-7,400) 7,384 $4,178,901
All Time International Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 6,301-6,400) 6,400 $4,178,901
All Time International Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 4,101-4,200) 4,144 $4,178,901
All Time International Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 6,101-6,200) 6,161 $4,178,901
All Time International Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 3,801-3,900) 3,845 $4,178,901
All Time International Box Office for Drama Movies (Rank 1,701-1,800) 1,794 $4,178,901
All Time International Box Office for PG Movies (Rank 701-800) 782 $4,178,901

Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 6,301-6,400) 6,332 $16,420,592
All Time Worldwide Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 5,301-5,400) 5,391 $16,420,592
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 3,401-3,500) 3,478 $16,420,592
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 5,501-5,600) 5,554 $16,420,592
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 3,301-3,400) 3,393 $16,420,592
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Drama Movies (Rank 1,401-1,500) 1,418 $16,420,592
All Time Worldwide Box Office for PG Movies (Rank 1,001-1,100) 1,080 $16,420,592

Weekly US DVD Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week		% ChangeTotal
Units		Spending
this
Week		Total
Spending		Weeks
in
Release
Dec 3, 200626114,913 114,913$1,593,843$1,593,8435
Dec 17, 200626180,847 481,359$2,530,050$6,716,7117
Dec 9, 200728126,659 1,038,545$1,771,959$14,740,77258
Dec 13, 200927129,787 1,348,747$1,853,358$19,123,708163
Jan 4, 20153023,578 2,079,092$305,571$28,906,351427
Dec 13, 20151529,286 2,274,848$336,496$31,359,823476
Dec 20, 20151962,186+112% 2,337,034$714,517$32,074,340477
Dec 27, 20151869,145+11% 2,406,179$791,019$32,865,359478
Jan 3, 20161935,292-49% 2,441,471$425,269$33,290,628479
Dec 11, 20162319,956 2,600,602$300,481$35,549,131528
Dec 18, 20162323,185+16% 2,623,787$336,203$35,885,334529
Dec 25, 20162947,753+106% 2,671,540$726,333$36,611,667530
Jan 1, 20172113,569-72% 2,685,109$214,750$36,826,417531
Nov 5, 2017268,126 2,758,187$91,505$37,784,354575
Nov 19, 20172111,102 2,778,330$112,402$37,989,264577
Dec 10, 20171230,811 2,869,630$248,364$38,803,924580
Dec 17, 20171338,955+26% 2,908,585$326,373$39,130,297581
Dec 24, 20171359,120+52% 2,967,705$627,245$39,757,542582
Dec 31, 20171816,738-72% 2,984,443$202,603$39,960,145583
Dec 9, 20182221,036 3,118,838$169,817$41,434,551632
Dec 16, 20182226,311+25% 3,145,149$212,272$41,646,823633
Dec 23, 20182233,296+27% 3,178,445$371,880$42,018,703634
Dec 30, 20182325,992-22% 3,204,437$314,750$42,333,453635
Nov 10, 2019274,711 3,261,341$43,448$42,954,171680
Nov 17, 2019294,048-14% 3,265,389$37,590$42,991,761681
Dec 8, 20192933,520 3,339,323$153,582$43,442,479684
Dec 15, 20192119,970-40% 3,359,293$132,449$43,574,928685
Dec 22, 20191835,763+79% 3,395,056$252,394$43,827,322686
Dec 29, 20191829,969-16% 3,425,025$208,896$44,036,218687
Jan 5, 20202216,483-45% 3,441,508$115,557$44,151,775688
Dec 20, 20202020,189 3,574,598$267,706$45,502,030738
Dec 12, 20211817,080 3,640,466$231,092$46,220,182789
Dec 19, 20211918,957+11% 3,659,423$256,299$46,476,481790

Weekly US Blu-ray Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week		% ChangeTotal
Units		Spending
this
Week		Total
Spending		Weeks
in
Release
Nov 8, 20091415,076 15,076$0$0158
Nov 15, 20091610,831-28% 25,907$0$0159
Dec 13, 20202020,325 498,562$269,510$4,482,238737
Dec 20, 20201818,904-7% 517,466$250,667$4,732,905738
Dec 12, 20211712,692 582,449$171,723$5,690,262789
Dec 19, 20212012,311-3% 594,760$166,445$5,856,707790
Dec 26, 20211912,942+5% 607,702$174,976$6,031,683791

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

Leading Cast

James Stewart    George Bailey
Donna Reed    Mary Hatch Bailey

Supporting Cast

Lionel Barrymore    Mr. Potter
Thomas Mitchell    Uncle Billy
Henry Travers    Clarence Oddbody
Beulah Bondi    Ma Bailey
Ward Bond    Officer Bert
Frank Faylen    Ernie Bishop
Gloria Grahame    Violet Bick
Frank Albertson    Sam Wainwright

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

Frank Capra    Director
Frances Goodrich    Screenwriter
Albert Hackett    Screenwriter
Frank Capra    Screenwriter
Jo Swerling    Screenwriter
Philip Van Doren Stern    Story Creator

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for November 1st, 2011

November 1st, 2011

The selection of home market releases is rather soft this week. Sure, Cars 2 was a major hit at the box office, but it is the only major hit on this week's list. The best selling TV on DVD release is Californication, which is a cable show, while the top ten selling titles according to Amazon.com include limited releases, catalogue titles and direct-to-DVD releases. There are more second-tier Christmas releases than any other type of release. There are far fewer titles that are worth picking up than last week, and the the Pick of the Week contenders are even more limited. Transformers: Beast Wars comes out on a Complete Series Collection and that could be Pick of the Week material, but I'm still waiting for the screener. More...

Featured Blu-ray Review: It's A Wonderful Life Gift Set

October 28th, 2011

I have a simple rule: No Christmas releases before Halloween. It's A Wonderful Life Blu-ray Gift Set is coming out on November 1st, making it a perfectly timed release. However, this is not the first time the film has been released on Blu-ray. Is it worth picking up if you don't already have it? Is it worth the upgrade? More...


  1. Summary
  2. News
  3. Box Office
  4. International
  5. Video Sales
  6. Cast & Crew
  7. Trailer

Metrics

Legs:16.67 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:74.6% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$3,180,000 (worldwide box office is 5.2 times production budget)

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists

RecordRankAmount
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 5,001-5,100) 5,084 $12,241,691
All Time International Box Office (Rank 7,301-7,400) 7,384 $4,178,901
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 6,301-6,400) 6,332 $16,420,592

See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.


Movie Details

Domestic Releases: December 20th, 1946 (Limited), released as It's a Wonderful Life
December 18th, 2022 (Wide) by Fathom Events
International Releases: February 6th, 1948 (Limited) (Australia)
December 11th, 2007 (Limited), released as It's A Wonderful Life (Re: 2007) (United Kingdom)
December 9th, 2010 (Wide) (New Zealand)
December 14th, 2018 (Limited), released as It's a Wonderful Life (4K Restoration) (United Kingdom)
December 10th, 2020 (Limited) (Australia)
... Show all releases
Video Release: October 31st, 2006 by Paramount Home Video
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements, smoking and some violence. Rating is for 2012 Re-Issue of film from Paramount Pictures Corporation
(Rating bulletin 2251 (Cert #48082), 12/5/2012)
Running Time: 130 minutes
Comparisons: vs. The Wizard of Oz
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Heaven and Hell, Voiceover/Narration, Non-Chronological, Christmas, Angels, Suicide, Class Warfare, Supernatural, Studio Sinkers
Source:Original Screenplay
Genre:Drama
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Contemporary Fiction
Production Countries: United States
Languages: English

Leading Cast

James Stewart    George Bailey
Donna Reed    Mary Hatch Bailey

Supporting Cast

Lionel Barrymore    Mr. Potter
Thomas Mitchell    Uncle Billy
Henry Travers    Clarence Oddbody
Beulah Bondi    Ma Bailey
Ward Bond    Officer Bert
Frank Faylen    Ernie Bishop
Gloria Grahame    Violet Bick
Frank Albertson    Sam Wainwright

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

Frank Capra    Director
Frances Goodrich    Screenwriter
Albert Hackett    Screenwriter
Frank Capra    Screenwriter
Jo Swerling    Screenwriter
Philip Van Doren Stern    Story Creator

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for November 1st, 2011

November 1st, 2011

The selection of home market releases is rather soft this week. Sure, Cars 2 was a major hit at the box office, but it is the only major hit on this week's list. The best selling TV on DVD release is Californication, which is a cable show, while the top ten selling titles according to Amazon.com include limited releases, catalogue titles and direct-to-DVD releases. There are more second-tier Christmas releases than any other type of release. There are far fewer titles that are worth picking up than last week, and the the Pick of the Week contenders are even more limited. Transformers: Beast Wars comes out on a Complete Series Collection and that could be Pick of the Week material, but I'm still waiting for the screener. More...

Featured Blu-ray Review: It's A Wonderful Life Gift Set

October 28th, 2011

I have a simple rule: No Christmas releases before Halloween. It's A Wonderful Life Blu-ray Gift Set is coming out on November 1st, making it a perfectly timed release. However, this is not the first time the film has been released on Blu-ray. Is it worth picking up if you don't already have it? Is it worth the upgrade? More...

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 5,001-5,100) 5,084 $12,241,691
All Time Domestic Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 4,301-4,400) 4,328 $12,241,691
All Time Domestic Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 2,701-2,800) 2,730 $12,241,691
All Time Domestic Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 4,501-4,600) 4,551 $12,241,691
All Time Domestic Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 2,701-2,800) 2,712 $12,241,691
All Time Domestic Box Office for Drama Movies (Rank 901-1,000) 995 $12,241,691
All Time Domestic Box Office for PG Movies (Rank 1,001-1,100) 1,087 $12,241,691

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Dec 18, 2020 - $44,000   250 $176   $6,644,000 3,862
Dec 16, 2022 8 $734,571   960 $765   $11,557,472 3,966

Daily Box Office Performance

DateRankGross%YD%LWTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossDays
Dec 18, 2022 4 $734,571     960 $765   $11,557,472 27,758
Dec 19, 2022 - $26,703 -96%   186 $144   $11,584,175 27,759
Dec 20, 2022 - $33,812 +27%   140 $242   $11,617,987 27,760
Dec 21, 2022 6 $578,703 +1,612%   960 $603   $12,196,690 27,761
Dec 22, 2022 - $30,490 -95%   49 $622   $12,227,180 27,762
Dec 23, 2022 - $14,511 -52%   43 $337   $12,241,691 27,763

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Dec 16, 2022 7 $1,404,279   49 $28,659   $12,227,180 3,966

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date		 Opening
Weekend		 Opening
Weekend
Screens		 Maximum
Screens		 Theatrical
Engagements		 Total
Box Office		 Report
Date
Australia 2/6/1948 $0 0 12 21 $8,731 1/4/2021
New Zealand 12/9/2010 $0 0 2 10 $1,262 12/28/2023
United Kingdom 12/11/2007 $0 0 347 2,027 $4,168,908 12/25/2024
 
International Total$4,178,901 12/25/2024

International Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time International Box Office (Rank 7,301-7,400) 7,384 $4,178,901
All Time International Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 6,301-6,400) 6,400 $4,178,901
All Time International Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 4,101-4,200) 4,144 $4,178,901
All Time International Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 6,101-6,200) 6,161 $4,178,901
All Time International Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 3,801-3,900) 3,845 $4,178,901
All Time International Box Office for Drama Movies (Rank 1,701-1,800) 1,794 $4,178,901
All Time International Box Office for PG Movies (Rank 701-800) 782 $4,178,901

Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 6,301-6,400) 6,332 $16,420,592
All Time Worldwide Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 5,301-5,400) 5,391 $16,420,592
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 3,401-3,500) 3,478 $16,420,592
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 5,501-5,600) 5,554 $16,420,592
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 3,301-3,400) 3,393 $16,420,592
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Drama Movies (Rank 1,401-1,500) 1,418 $16,420,592
All Time Worldwide Box Office for PG Movies (Rank 1,001-1,100) 1,080 $16,420,592

Weekly US DVD Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week		% ChangeTotal
Units		Spending
this
Week		Total
Spending		Weeks
in
Release
Dec 3, 200626114,913 114,913$1,593,843$1,593,8435
Dec 17, 200626180,847 481,359$2,530,050$6,716,7117
Dec 9, 200728126,659 1,038,545$1,771,959$14,740,77258
Dec 13, 200927129,787 1,348,747$1,853,358$19,123,708163
Jan 4, 20153023,578 2,079,092$305,571$28,906,351427
Dec 13, 20151529,286 2,274,848$336,496$31,359,823476
Dec 20, 20151962,186+112% 2,337,034$714,517$32,074,340477
Dec 27, 20151869,145+11% 2,406,179$791,019$32,865,359478
Jan 3, 20161935,292-49% 2,441,471$425,269$33,290,628479
Dec 11, 20162319,956 2,600,602$300,481$35,549,131528
Dec 18, 20162323,185+16% 2,623,787$336,203$35,885,334529
Dec 25, 20162947,753+106% 2,671,540$726,333$36,611,667530
Jan 1, 20172113,569-72% 2,685,109$214,750$36,826,417531
Nov 5, 2017268,126 2,758,187$91,505$37,784,354575
Nov 19, 20172111,102 2,778,330$112,402$37,989,264577
Dec 10, 20171230,811 2,869,630$248,364$38,803,924580
Dec 17, 20171338,955+26% 2,908,585$326,373$39,130,297581
Dec 24, 20171359,120+52% 2,967,705$627,245$39,757,542582
Dec 31, 20171816,738-72% 2,984,443$202,603$39,960,145583
Dec 9, 20182221,036 3,118,838$169,817$41,434,551632
Dec 16, 20182226,311+25% 3,145,149$212,272$41,646,823633
Dec 23, 20182233,296+27% 3,178,445$371,880$42,018,703634
Dec 30, 20182325,992-22% 3,204,437$314,750$42,333,453635
Nov 10, 2019274,711 3,261,341$43,448$42,954,171680
Nov 17, 2019294,048-14% 3,265,389$37,590$42,991,761681
Dec 8, 20192933,520 3,339,323$153,582$43,442,479684
Dec 15, 20192119,970-40% 3,359,293$132,449$43,574,928685
Dec 22, 20191835,763+79% 3,395,056$252,394$43,827,322686
Dec 29, 20191829,969-16% 3,425,025$208,896$44,036,218687
Jan 5, 20202216,483-45% 3,441,508$115,557$44,151,775688
Dec 20, 20202020,189 3,574,598$267,706$45,502,030738
Dec 12, 20211817,080 3,640,466$231,092$46,220,182789
Dec 19, 20211918,957+11% 3,659,423$256,299$46,476,481790

Weekly US Blu-ray Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week		% ChangeTotal
Units		Spending
this
Week		Total
Spending		Weeks
in
Release
Nov 8, 20091415,076 15,076$0$0158
Nov 15, 20091610,831-28% 25,907$0$0159
Dec 13, 20202020,325 498,562$269,510$4,482,238737
Dec 20, 20201818,904-7% 517,466$250,667$4,732,905738
Dec 12, 20211712,692 582,449$171,723$5,690,262789
Dec 19, 20212012,311-3% 594,760$166,445$5,856,707790
Dec 26, 20211912,942+5% 607,702$174,976$6,031,683791

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.