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The Birdcage

1996 · directed by Mike Nichols · 119 min
24,443 feet · Prominence
642nd of 15,261 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw68

$185m worldwide in 1996 — $390m in today's money.

As released$185mIn 2026 money$390mRank835 of 8,589In 199612 of 170

How Draw works

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

Praise81

Critics 78, awards 25. Half each, so Praise lands at 81.

Critics78 → 39Awards25 → 12

Oscars1 nominated Production Design
Golden Globes2 nominated Motion Picture, Actor
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.

Legacy48

Judged directly: Still quoted, Lane and Williams beloved.

Verdict48 of 100IMDb7.2 from 110kWikipedia53k views a monthAge30 years

Scored beside it · 866 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 68 praise 81 legacy 48averages 66, which places it at24,443 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

Robin Williams22,744 ftGene Hackman22,195 ft