Shot and released during a troubled period where Hollywood was losing audiences to both television and the "white flight" to the suburbs, White Christmas used vibrant technicolor, an expanded aspect ratio, playfully light acting, and lots of expensive spectacle in the hopes of giving people a reason to go out of their way to buy a ticket to the movies. It was an impressive success, taking in far more money than any other American film released that year. Its seasonal dressing also turned it into a festive perennial; above all else, White Christmas is a nostalgic favorite that's reliably revisited by millions of people every December.