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Empire of the Sun

1987 · directed by Steven Spielberg · 153 min
22,698 feet · Prominence
1,668th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw60

Lifetime worldwide gross $67m, re-releases included; about $194m in 2026 money.

Rank1,779 of 11,051In 198714 of 162

How Draw works

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

Praise77

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics69 baseAwards52 signal → +8 lift

Oscars6 nominated Cinematography, Costume Design, Production Design, Film Editing, Original Score, Sound
Golden Globes1 nominated Best Picture
BAFTAs3 won Sound, Cinematography, Original Music3 nominated Screenplay, Production Design, Costume Design
How Praise works

Critics set the score; a tiered award record, Picture and Directing carrying the most weight, claims half the headroom above it. 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 · 1,901 of 4,039 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 77 legacy 38averages 58, placing it at22,698 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 Bale20,029 ftJohn Malkovich19,222 ftJoe Pantoliano18,119 ftMiranda Richardson18,097 ftBen Stiller17,658 ftMarc de Jonge17,649 ftPaul McGann17,634 ftRobert Stephens17,634 ft