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The Joy Luck Club

1993 · directed by Wayne Wang · 139 min · R
23,483 feet · Prominence
1,141st of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw52

Lifetime worldwide gross $33m, re-releases included; about $75m in 2026 money.

Rank3,454 of 11,051In 199358 of 199

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

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics85 baseAwards6 signal → +0 lift

BAFTAs1 nominated 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.

Legacy45

Judged directly: Registry-preserved Asian American landmark, narrow circulation.

Verdict45 of 100IMDb7.7 from 20kWikipedia12k views a monthAge33 years

On the listsNational Film Registryevidence, not an input to the score
Scored beside it · 1,372 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 52 praise 85 legacy 45averages 61, placing it at23,483 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

Ming-Na Wen18,483 ftAndrew McCarthy17,649 ft