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Breaking the Waves

1996 · directed by Lars von Trier · 159 min
24,116 feet · Prominence
763rd of 15,261 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw48

$23m worldwide in 1996 — $48m in today's money.

As released$23mIn 2026 money$48mRank3,845 of 8,589In 199674 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.

Praise85

Critics 83, awards 20. Half each, so Praise lands at 85.

Critics83 → 42Awards20 → 10

Oscars1 nominated Actress
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.

Legacy55

Judged directly: Criterion von Trier landmark, Watson.

Verdict55 of 100IMDb7.8 from 75kWikipedia17k views a monthAge30 years

On the listsCriterion Collectionevidence, not an input to the score
Scored beside it · 670 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 48 praise 85 legacy 55averages 63, which places it at24,116 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: Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr.