The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

2003 · directed by Peter Jackson · 201 min

28,380 feet · Prominence

6th of 15,261 films scored

Not coveredThe 6th highest film on the mountain, and The Rewatchables has never done it.

How this film scores

Draw88

$1.12bn worldwide in 2003 — $2.01bn in today's money.

As released$1.12bnIn 2026 money$2.01bnRank18 of 8,589In 20031 of 176

How Draw works

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

Praise97

Critics 94, awards 98. Half each, so Praise lands at 97.

Critics94 → 47Awards98 → 49

Oscars11 won Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Original Song, Costume Design, Production Design, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Sound

Golden Globes3 won Motion Picture, Director, Original Score

BAFTAs3 won Film, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography

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.

Legacy89

Judged directly: Epic finale, sweeping Oscars, enduring fandom.

Verdict89 of 100IMDb9 from 2.2mWikipedia73k views a monthAge23 years

Scored beside it · 27 of 3,430 films judged

90The Terminator (1984)

90Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

90Scarface (1983)

89Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

89Annie Hall (1977)

89The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

88The Exorcist (1973)

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 88 praise 97 legacy 89averages 91, which places it at28,380 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

Cate Blanchett21,780 ft