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Broadcast News

1987 · directed by James L. Brooks · 133 min
25,018 feet · Prominence
491st of 24,106 films scored
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How this film scores

Draw61

Lifetime worldwide gross $67m, re-releases included; about $196m in 2026 money.

Rank1,764 of 11,051In 198713 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.

Praise95

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics91 baseAwards79 signal → +4 lift

Oscars7 nominated Picture, Actress, Actor, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing
Golden Globes4 nominated Best Picture, Actress, Actor, Screenplay
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.

Legacy55

Judged directly: Smart and respected, narrow.

Verdict55 of 100IMDb7.3 from 36kWikipedia13k views a monthAge39 years

On the listsNational Film RegistryCriterion Collectionevidence, not an input to the score
Scored beside it · 748 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 61 praise 95 legacy 55averages 70, placing it at25,018 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.

Whose apex this is

▲ William Hurt▲ Holly Hunter

In these careers — elevation for this film

Albert Brooks20,311 ftHolly Hunter20,311 ftWilliam Hurt20,311 ftRobert Prosky18,191 ftJoan Cusack18,174 ftLois Chiles17,840 ftJohn Cusack17,664 ftJack Nicholson17,655 ft