<P> It's a Wonderful Life premiered at the Globe Theatre in New York on December 20, 1946, to mixed reviews . While Capra considered the contemporary critical reviews to be either universally negative or at best dismissive, Time said, "It's a Wonderful Life is a pretty wonderful movie . It has only one formidable rival (Goldwyn's The Best Years of Our Lives) as Hollywood's best picture of the year . Director Capra's inventiveness, humor and affection for human beings keep it glowing with life and excitement ." </P> <P> Bosley Crowther, writing for The New York Times, complimented some of the actors, including Stewart and Reed, but concluded that "the weakness of this picture, from this reviewer's point of view, is the sentimentality of it--its illusory concept of life . Mr. Capra's nice people are charming, his small town is a quite beguiling place and his pattern for solving problems is most optimistic and facile . But somehow they all resemble theatrical attitudes rather than average realities ." </P> <P> The film, which went into general release on January 7, 1947, placed 26th ($3.3 million) in box office revenues for 1947 (out of more than 400 features released), one place ahead of another Christmas film, Miracle on 34th Street . The film was supposed to be released in January 1947, but was moved up to December 1946 to make it eligible for the 1946 Academy Awards . This move was seen as worse for the film, as 1947 did not have quite the stiff competition as 1946 . If it had entered the 1947 Awards, its biggest competition would have been Miracle on 34th Street . The number one grossing movie of 1947, The Best Years of Our Lives, made $11.5 million . </P> <P> The film recorded a loss of $525,000 at the box office for RKO . </P>

When did its a wonderful life come out