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The Black Stallion

1979 · directed by Carroll Ballard · 118 min
23,705 feet · Prominence
927th of 15,261 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw59

$38m worldwide in 1979 — $172m in today's money.

As released$38mIn 2026 money$172mRank1,853 of 8,589In 197921 of 61

How Draw works

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

Praise88

Critics 87, awards 17. Half each, so Praise lands at 88.

Critics87 → 44Awards17 → 9

Oscars2 nominated Supporting Actor, Film Editing
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. This film is near critically unanimous and barely registers on awards, so the awards half halves it — which penalises it for the Academy's rules rather than its quality.

Legacy38

Judged directly: Gorgeous family classic, gently faded.

Verdict38 of 100IMDb7.4 from 15kWikipedia11k views a monthAge47 years

On the listsNational Film RegistryCriterion Collectionevidence, not an input to the score
Scored beside it · 1,338 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 59 praise 88 legacy 38averages 62, which places it at23,705 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: Kelly Reno, Mickey Rooney, Teri Garr, Clarence Muse.