It's a Wonderful Life
At 48% overall, It's a Wonderful Life looks like an underdog — but by the time it reaches a final, it outperforms. The definitive Christmas movie, carrying eight decades of annual rewatching as competitive fuel. Sentimentality is its weapon and its ceiling — voters either surrender to it completely or recognize they're being played.
Synopsis
A holiday favourite for generations... George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.
44% opening, 75% in finals. The 31-point improvement tells you everything: It's a Wonderful Life outperforms its overall record exactly when it matters most.
Against City of God, the margin is razor-thin: 50%. The most contested matchup in It's a Wonderful Life's record. The extremes tell a clear story — 67% against Die Hard at one end, 29% against The Shawshank Redemption at the other.
Featured in Movies That Changed You.
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