Television
The film first aired on television on premium cable networks The Movie Channel,[64] HBO,[65] and Showtime[66] as early as December 1985, and quickly attracted a growing following. In December 1987, the film premiered on SuperStation WTBS and local television stations.[67] In 1989[68] and 1990,[69] TBS showed it on Thanksgiving night, while in 1991[70] and 1992,[71] they aired it the night after.
24 Hours of A Christmas Story
Turner Broadcasting (as both an independent company and, from 1996 onward, as a subsidiary of the company presently operating as Warner Bros. Discovery) has maintained ownership of the broadcast rights, and since the mid-1990s, they have continued to air the film increasingly on both TBS and TNT all throughout the holiday season annually. TCM has also aired the film many times, as well. By 1995, it was aired on those networks a combined six times on December 24–26,[72][73] and in 1996, it was aired eight times over four days, not including local airings.[74]
Due to the increasing popularity of the film, in 1997, TNT began airing a 24-hour marathon dubbed "24 Hours of A Christmas Story," consisting of twelve consecutive showings of the film running from 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Christmas Eve until 8:00 p.m. on Christmas Day.[67] This was in addition to various other airings on the network earlier in the month of December. In 2004, after TNT switched to a predominantly drama-centered programming format, sister network TBS, under its comedy-based "Very Funny" moniker, took over carriage of the marathon. Clark stated that, in 2002, an estimated 38.4 million people tuned into the marathon at one point or another, nearly one sixth of the country.[20] TBS reported 45.4 million viewers in 2005,[75] and 45.5 million in 2006.[76] In 2007, new all-time ratings records were set,[77] with the highest single showing (8:00 p.m. Christmas Eve) drawing 4.4 million viewers.[77] Viewership increased again in 2008, with the 8:00 p.m. airing on Christmas Eve drawing 4.5 million viewers, the 10:00 p.m. airing drawing 4.3 million,[78] and total viewership topping at 54.4 million.[79] As of 2009, the film had been shown 250 times on the Turner family of networks.[79]
In 2007, the marathon continued, and the original tradition was revived. TNT also aired the film twice the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend (November 25). In 2009, the 24-hour marathon continued on TBS, for the 13th overall year, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET on Christmas Eve.[80]
In 2009, the film aired on TBS during a 24-hour marathon on Christmas Eve. The first viewing at 8:00 p.m. ET on December 24 earned a 1.6 rating (18–49) and beat the major broadcast networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox).[81] In 2010, the marathon averaged 3 million viewers, up 2% from the previous year, ranking TBS as the top cable network for the 24-hour period. The 10:00 a.m. airing on December 25 was seen by 4.4 million viewers, and the 8:00 p.m. airing on December 24 was close behind with 4.3 million viewers.[82] The marathons in 2011[83] and 2012[84] continued to see increases in ratings.
Beginning with the 2014 edition of the marathon, Turner elected to simulcast it on both TNT and TBS, marking the first time since 2003 that TNT aired it as well as the first time the marathon was aired on multiple networks. The two networks staggered their airings one hour apart, with the TBS marathon beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET and the TNT marathon beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET.[85][86] Both networks have run 24-hour marathons with the one-hour offset format from 2014 annually, making it a new tradition for both TBS and TNT networks.[3] For 2019, a majority of the most-watched programs—13 out of the top 25—broadcast on cable Christmas Day were A Christmas Story.[87]
Subsequent screen adaptations and sequels
The PBS series American Playhouse produced two subsequent television film adaptations featuring the same characters, also with Shepherd narrating: The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski and Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss. The latter of these was set in the early 1950s with a now-teenaged Ralphie and his friends and family. Shepherd had previously created The Phantom of the Open Hearth and The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters for the same network.[88]
A theatrical sequel involving Ralphie and his family, titled It Runs in the Family, was made in 1994. With the exceptions of Tedde Moore as Miss Shields (Ralphie's teacher) and Jean Shepherd as the narrator (the voice of the adult Ralphie), it features an entirely different cast. It received a limited release before being retitled My Summer Story for home video and television release.[89]
A Christmas Story 2 is a direct sequel to the film, which ignores the references and events of My Summer Story and was released direct-to-video in 2012[90] and directed by Brian Levant. It was filmed in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.[91]
Another sequel to the film (which has no relation with A Christmas Story 2), entitled A Christmas Story Christmas, was released in 2022. The film is directed by The Christmas Chronicles director Clay Kaytis and written by The Mule writer Nick Schenk (who is also executive producer of the film).[92] Peter Billingsley reprised the role from the original film, in addition serving as the film's producer. The film was released via streaming on HBO Max by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming & Interactive Entertainment.[93] It takes place in the 1970s following an adult Ralphie catching up with his old childhood friends.[94][95] Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, R. D. Robb, and Zack Ward reprised their roles of Randy Parker, Flick, Schwartz, and Scut Farkus, respectively.[96] Erinn Hayes, River Drosche, and Julianna Layne played Ralphie's wife and his kids while Julie Hagerty played Mrs. Parker in a role originated by Melinda Dillon (who would die less than two months after the film was released in early 2023) in the original film.[97] The film is dedicated to the memory of Darren McGavin (who played Ralphie's Old Man in the original film), who died on February 25, 2006, at the age of 83.[98]
Stage adaptations
In 2000, a stage play adaptation of A Christmas Story was written by Philip Grecian.[99]
In November 2012, A Christmas Story: The Musical, based on the film, opened on Broadway. Written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (music and lyrics) and Joseph Robinette (book), the musical opened to positive reviews.[100] The run ended on December 30 the same year.[101] The musical was directed by John Rando with choreography by Warren Carlyle and featured Dan Lauria as Jean Shepherd.[102] The musical received Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Robinette), and Best Original Score (Music or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre.[103]
The musical was then adapted for television as the three hour A Christmas Story Live!, which aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 2017.[104] Reviews were mixed; on Rotten Tomatoes, the production received a 46% rating based on 13 critics' reviews.[105]
Home media
- Betamax (1984, 1988)
- VHS (1984, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000)
- LaserDisc (1985): Pan and scan[106]
- LaserDisc (1993): Deluxe Letterbox Edition[107]
- DVD (1997, reissued by Warner Home Video in 1999): fullscreen, includes the original theatrical trailer
- DVD (2003) 20th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2003): Widescreen & Fullscreen; includes cast interviews, audio commentary, and featurettes.
- HD DVD (2006)[108]
- Blu-ray (2006)[109]
- DVD (2008) Ultimate Collector's Edition: Metal tin case features the same 2003 two-disc special edition, but includes special memorabilia.[110]
- Blu-ray (2008) Ultimate Collector's Edition: Metal tin which features the same 2006 Blu-ray Disc, but also includes a strand of Leg Lamp Christmas lights.[111]
- Blu-ray (2013) 30th Anniversary Edition: Steelbook with Blu-ray in 1080p (like the previous Blu-ray and HD-DVD) with a DTS-HD Master Audio mono track (whereas the previous releases had Dolby Digital mono), and more special features than the previous Blu-ray and HD-DVD.
- Ultra HD Blu-ray (2022)
