One of the most beloved holiday traditions for many American families is watching the 1947 holiday classicIt’s a Wonderful Lifeon NBC, with the movie celebrating its 70th Anniversary this year. Still, after all of those years, theholiday classicis still bringing in solid numbers, with 4.67 million viewers and a 1.0 rating with a 4 share. While those numbers may not seem terribly huge, compared to a top-rated show likeThe Walking Dead, for a 70-year-old movie, those numbers are still quite impressive, and even managed to hold off several other programs.
The NBC airing ofIt’s a Wonderful Lifecame in ahead of last year’s numbers, with 4.5 million tuning in, which was a massive 1 million-viewer jump from the 2015 numbers. The 1.0 rating remained the same as last year, with the total viewers falling just behind a repeat ofFox’s The Simpsonsin the 8 PM time slot, which pulled in a 1.6 rating/8 share and 5.13 million viewers.It’s a Wonderful Lifepulled in better numbers than ABC’s airing of the 1991 animated classicBeauty and the Beast, which posted a 0.8 rating/3 share and 3.13 million viewers, and CBS' airing of theI Love Lucy Christmas Special, which drew in a 0.5 rating/2 share and 3.88 million viewers.
This year marks the 43rd year NBC has airedIt’s A Wonderful Lifeon Christmas Eve. The story centers on George Bailey (James Stewart), who wishes he had never been born. An angel (Henry Travers) is sent to earth to make George’s wish come true. George starts to realize how many lives he has changed and impacted, and how they would be different if he was never there. Despite its cultural significance now,It’s A Wonderful Lifewasn’t exactly acritical and commercial smash hit. It earned $3.3 million, good for the 26th highest grossing film of the year, with the top-grossing film that year beingThe Best Years of Our Lives, earning $11.5 million.
Frank Capra won aGolden Globefor Best Director, but the film was largely shut out of the Oscars, losing in every category it was nominated for toThe Best Years Of Our Lives, except for a Technical Achievement Award that went to Russell Shearman and RKO Radio Studio Special Effects Department, “for the development of a new method of simulating falling snow on motion picture sets.” Over time, the film began to transcend its initial response and become a verifiable holiday classic in its own right, with new generations discovering the film each year.
With theTV ratingscontinuing to rise year after year, there doesn’t seem to be any end to NBC’s annual holiday tradition of airingIt’s A Wonderful Lifeevery Christmas Eve. The movie even beat out a pair of holiday specials NBC aired just beforeIt’s A Wonderful Life, with a repeat ofTrolls Holiday Specialpulling in just 1.22 million viewers, airing at 7 PM, andHow Murray Saved Christmaspulling in 1.25 million viewers in the 7:30 PM time slot, withIt’s A Wonderful Lifeairing from 8 PM to 11 PM ET. These ratings numbers come fromTV By the Numbers.
