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Empire of the Sun

1987 · directed by Steven Spielberg · 153 min
23,087 feet · Prominence
1,222nd of 15,261 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw60

$67m worldwide in 1987 — $194m in today's money.

As released$67mIn 2026 money$194mRank1,696 of 8,589In 198714 of 130

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise75

Critics 69, awards 42. Half each, so Praise lands at 75.

Critics69 → 34Awards42 → 21

Oscars6 nominated Cinematography, Costume Design, Production Design, Film Editing, Original Score, Sound
BAFTAs3 won Sound, Cinematography, Original Music2 nominated Production Design, Costume Design
How Praise works

Half critics, half a tiered award record where Picture and Directing carry most of the weight. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.

Legacy38

Judged directly: Bale's debut, film quietly faded.

Verdict38 of 100IMDb7.7 from 142kWikipedia59k views a monthAge39 years

Scored beside it · 1,370 of 3,430 films judged

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 60 praise 75 legacy 38averages 58, which places it at23,087 ft
How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

In these careers — elevation for this film

Christian Bale22,634 ft