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Altered States

1980 · directed by Ken Russell · 103 min
22,953 feet · Prominence
1,438th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw52

Lifetime worldwide gross $20m, re-releases included; about $80m in 2026 money.

Rank3,351 of 11,051In 198034 of 84

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

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics73 baseAwards19 signal → +3 lift

Oscars2 nominated Original Score, Sound
Golden Globes1 nominated Lead acting
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.

Legacy45

Judged directly: Criterion, hallucinatory imagery still borrowed.

Verdict45 of 100IMDb6.9 from 41kWikipedia18k views a monthAge46 years

On the listsCriterion Collectionevidence, not an input to the score
Scored beside it · 1,429 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 52 praise 75 legacy 45averages 57, placing it at22,953 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

William Hurt19,905 ftBob Balaban18,127 ftDrew Barrymore17,654 ft