It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the few movies that’s brought me to tears. It’s wonderful beautiful. Since it came out in 1946, it has been a classic, likely watched over 100 million times. Millions tune in for annual broadcasts around Christmas and countless others watch year around.
Assuming that 25% of these ~5 million annual viewers are moved to tears—a conservative estimate, considering that even those who rarely cry (like me) might do so during this film—that equates to about 1.25 million individuals shedding tears.
If each person produces 1 milliliter of tears during the movie—a modest amount—this totals 1,125 liters of tears.
Given that the average person requires about 3.7 liters (for men) or 2.7 liters (for women) of water daily, the tears shed over this film could provide a day’s hydration for approximately 400 people.
And so, with every annual viewing of It’s a Wonderful Life, a literal (small) flood of emotion unites generations of viewers.
unpublished alpha 