Pre-Order PHE Press Release: It’s A Wonderful Life 75th Anniversary (1946) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Stephen_J_H]

How many bloody times have they released this.

Making up for lost profits from all those years it was public domain.

 

[ShellOilJunior]

The release makes sense. The movie is an evergreen title for Paramount. It's a movie available in the usual places and the places you don't normally think of for buying movies, like an end cap at Staples or near the register at 7-11. It may not be as high in public awareness as something like The Wizard of Oz or Gone With the Wind, but it's no slouch.

I was curious how much It's a Wonderful Life has sold on home video. It appears it's sold roughly 3.5 million copies on DVD and 500,000+ on Blu-ray. UHD figures weren't available.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) - Financial Information

Financial analysis of It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) including budget, domestic and international box office gross, DVD and Blu-ray sales reports, total earnings and profitability.

www.the-numbers.com

 

[Carl David]

The release makes sense. The movie is an evergreen title for Paramount. It's a movie available in the usual places and the places you don't normally think of for buying movies, like an end cap at Staples or near the register at 7-11. It may not be as high in public awareness as something like The Wizard of Oz or Gone With the Wind, but it's no slouch.

I was curious how much It's a Wonderful Life has sold on home video. It appears it's sold roughly 3.5 million copies on DVD and 500,000+ on Blu-ray. UHD figures weren't available.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) - Financial Information

Financial analysis of It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) including budget, domestic and international box office gross, DVD and Blu-ray sales reports, total earnings and profitability.

www.the-numbers.com

I suppose it's a question of how many people that already own the previous Blu Ray disc will make a second purchase here and how many that don't own a physical copy will buy this version.

Does anyone know how many copies Paramount will need to sell of this to make it a worthwhile release for them?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

This is probably nearly 100% profit. It won’t sell a ton of copies but anything will be a bonus because all that’s new is the packaging. It’s the same discs from the 2019 release so for the small price of printing some new packaging, stores will carry it and they’ll get some impulse buys from shoppers seeing it on end caps in stores during the holiday season. It’s a smart move, this title sells itself at the right time of year.

 

[Randy Korstick]

Wait until next year when they release the 76th anniversary edition.

Which is higher the anniversary or the number of releases this title has had on home media.

 

[Douglas R]

You’d think that everyone who wants this would have it by now. Who keeps on buying it - I mean what demographic? It’s a great film but there are many other classic films of similar vintage which no doubt struggle to sell more than a handful of copies. I realise it’s all about name recognition but why the exceptional popularity of this film against many others just as great?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I would imagine most have it but this is the kind of impulse buy, stocking stuffer type item that can be stocked in places that usually don’t sell much physical media and pick up some sales.

Years of television airings have made this a perennial stable - it’s just a movie that’s well associated with Christmas for many, many people.

Go figure, I first saw and fell in love with it during July!

 

[Carl David]

I would imagine most have it but this is the kind of impulse buy, stocking stuffer type item that can be stocked in places that usually don’t sell much physical media and pick up some sales.

Years of television airings have made this a perennial stable - it’s just a movie that’s well associated with Christmas for many, many people.

Go figure, I first saw and fell in love with it during July!

It's very popular as a Christmas movie here in the UK as well especially of a certain age of people.

I would say a lot of people over the age of 40 here are familiar with it. Younger generations here in the UK not so sure. I suspect that almost all baby boomers know this movie and probably cherish it.

Funny enough despite me being a "collector" of physical media I still don't own this movie despite me liking the movie although I have only ever seen it once.

I actually intend to purchase the 4k UHD version before this Christmas but hopefully I won't leave it too late because I noticed last year around Christmas time that many Christmas movies on disc went up in price significantly for obvious reasons.

 

[JC Riesenbeck]

It's a Wonderful Life. Let Me Count the Ways. Years ago I had a VHS copy, probably from the public domain years, then I had this on DVD, then I had it on DVD in black and white, and a colorized DVD using an older process, then there was the black and white Bluray and the colorized Bluray and last year it was the 4K version. The only way I'll get this is if Potter miraculously gets his comeuppance and we know that isn't going to happen. I hear that's going to happen next year with a completely digitalized CGI Jimmy Stewart and Lionel Barrymore. So I'll wait.

 

[Noel Aguirre]

Omg enough already!!

But where’s the 3D version? I need the added depth for both the “sled crash scene” & the “falling in the pool scene”.
Come on Paramount get with the program for the total milking!

 

[RobertMG]

It is a great film but one thing that always gets me is for example the Hays Code always demanded a crook never got off for their crimes - so we are shown Mr. Potter basically stealing the money that George Bailey somehow is responsible for after Uncle Billy left it on the counter at the bank YET we never see if Mr. Potter pays for his crime.

 

[RobertMG]

It's very popular as a Christmas movie here in the UK as well especially of a certain age of people.

I would say a lot of people over the age of 40 here are familiar with it. Younger generations here in the UK not so sure. I suspect that almost all baby boomers know this movie and probably cherish it.

Funny enough despite me being a "collector" of physical media I still don't own this movie despite me liking the movie although I have only ever seen it once.

I actually intend to purchase the 4k UHD version before this Christmas but hopefully I won't leave it too late because I noticed last year around Christmas time that many Christmas movies on disc went up in price significantly for obvious reasons.

I just posted the same thing about Mr. Potter LOVE the film but why didn't Potter pay for his crime? Did Mr Capra ever address this?

 

[Malcolm R]

I think I've bought this a couple times over the years, but have still never watched it. Pretty sure I picked up a blu-ray in the last year or two.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

I just posted the same thing about Mr. Potter LOVE the film but why didn't Potter pay for his crime? Did Mr Capra ever address this?

There was no crime. Uncle Billy gives the money to Potter when he returns the newspaper he grabbed out of Potter’s hand.

 

[RobertMG]

There was no crime. Uncle Billy gives the money to Potter when he returns the newspaper he grabbed out of Potter’s hand.

Did Potter deposit it in their account - NO he called the cops on Bailey MISSING money, so Potter did commit a crime

 

[Henry Gondorff]

But Potter does end up paying dearly for his crime in the alternate ending (apparently didn't preview well).

 

[Bad Raptor]

About bloody time.

Finally colorized!

I'm eagerly awaiting the all-colorized and all sepia-toned versions of The Wizard of Oz.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Did Potter deposit it in their account - NO he called the cops on Bailey MISSING money, so Potter did commit a crime

But the Bailey’s *were* the showing a shortage in their account so he wasn’t falsely reporting anything. And Potter was under no obligation to deposit or return the money he found since he didn’t steal it from them.

A moral crime, yes. A legal crime, no.

That said, it would have been nice to see the residents of Potter’s Field rise up for some Old West justice against him.

 

[RobertMG]

But the Bailey’s *were* the showing a shortage in their account so he wasn’t falsely reporting anything. And Potter was under no obligation to deposit or return the money he found since he didn’t steal it from them.

A moral crime, yes. A legal crime, no.

That said, it would have been nice to see the residents of Potter’s Field rise up for some Old West justice against him.

yes agree - but the whole Potter thing was clearly unresolved especially with the torture ol' George endured for 133 minutes I think

 

[PianoPlayer]

Never minding that this 75th Anniversary Blu-ray edition (released a few weeks ago) includes a colorized version, can anyone verify that the BLACK-AND-WHITE version included in this new edition is indeed excellent and complete?

Not sure I'll be getting a 4K player anytime soon, so I'm looking at the best Blu-ray edition. Amazon reviews about the various editions are rife with comments like "It's edited!" and "The audio isn't right" and "Not the current re-master" etc. etc. If THIS new edition isn't the best one for me to buy -- which one is?