The Wall Street JournalThe Christmas movie that became a classic because of a mistake
'It's a Wonderful Life,' the iconic black-and-white film many of us watch during the holidays, had all the ingredients of a hit—but only became one due to a copyright quirk. The WSJ tells the story.
The movie had every ingredient of a hit when it opened right before Christmas. By the new year, it was a flop. In fact, when the copyright on this film expired, nobody even bothered to renew it. It was so forgettable that it was quite literally forgotten.
This is also the reason that people are still watching “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
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