Superman

1978 · directed by Richard Donner · 144 min

27,598 feet · Prominence

37th of 15,261 films scored

Not coveredThe 37th highest film on the mountain, and The Rewatchables has never done it.

How this film scores

Draw84

$300m worldwide in 1978 — $1.52bn in today's money.

As released$300mIn 2026 money$1.52bnRank61 of 8,589In 19782 of 59

How Draw works

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

Praise87

Critics 85, awards 29. Half each, so Praise lands at 87.

Critics85 → 42Awards29 → 14

Oscars1 won Special Achievement Academy Award3 nominated Film Editing, Original Score, Sound

BAFTAs1 won BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award

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.

Legacy85

Judged directly: Defined superhero cinema, iconic theme.

Verdict85 of 100IMDb7.4 from 206kWikipedia70k views a monthAge48 years

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

Scored beside it · 58 of 3,430 films judged

85Finding Nemo (2003)

85Beauty and the Beast (1991)

85The Graduate (1967)

85Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

85Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)

85Saturday Night Fever (1977)

85Superman (1978)

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 84 praise 87 legacy 85averages 85, which places it at27,598 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

Gene Hackman22,328 ft