The Hurt Locker

2008 · directed by Kathryn Bigelow · 131 min

25,117 feet · Prominence

458th of 15,261 films scored

Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw52

$49m worldwide in 2008 — $76m in today's money.

As released$49mIn 2026 money$76mRank3,122 of 8,589In 200885 of 224

How Draw works

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

Praise98

Critics 96, awards 95. Half each, so Praise lands at 98.

Critics96 → 48Awards95 → 48

Oscars6 won Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Film Editing, Sound, Sound Editing3 nominated Actor, Cinematography, Original Score

BAFTAs4 won Film, Direction, Cinematography, Editing1 nominated 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.

Legacy58

Judged directly: First female Best Director, modest footprint.

Verdict58 of 100IMDb7.5 from 496kWikipedia47k views a monthAge18 years

On the listsNational Film Registryevidence, not an input to the score

Scored beside it · 549 of 3,430 films judged

58Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

58The Dirty Dozen (1967)

58The Big Short (2015)

58The School of Rock (2003)

58BlacKkKlansman (2018)

58The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

58The Hurt Locker (2008)

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 98 legacy 58averages 69, which places it at25,117 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

No scored career runs through this film yet. The people-side engine currently covers 108careers, and this film’s cast sits outside them. Top billing: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, David Morse.