The Last Picture Show

1971 · directed by Peter Bogdanovich · 119 min

25,419 feet · Prominence

373rd of 24,106 films scored

Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw62

Lifetime worldwide gross $29m, re-releases included; about $237m in 2026 money.

Rank1,470 of 11,051In 19717 of 40

How Draw works

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

Praise98

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics96 baseAwards95 signal → +2 lift

Oscars2 won Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress4 nominated Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography

Golden Globes1 won Supporting Actor6 nominated Motion Picture, Director, Lead acting, Supporting Actress, Supporting acting, Screenplay

BAFTAs3 won Actor, Actress, Screenplay3 nominated Film, Direction, Supporting acting

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.

Legacy58

Judged directly: Critically revered, limited popular footprint.

Verdict58 of 100IMDb8 from 56kWikipedia25k views a monthAge55 years

On the listsNational Film RegistryCriterion CollectionAFI 100evidence, not an input to the score

Scored beside it · 603 of 4,039 films judged

58Traffic (2000)

58Argo (2012)

58Captain America: Civil War (2016)

58Million Dollar Baby (2004)

58Sense and Sensibility (1995)

581917 (2019)

58The Last Picture Show (1971)

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 62 praise 98 legacy 58averages 73, placing it at25,419 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

▲ Ben Johnson ▲ Timothy Bottoms

In these careers — elevation for this film

Ben Johnson20,372 ft Jeff Bridges19,764 ft Cloris Leachman19,479 ft Ellen Burstyn19,203 ft Cybill Shepherd18,993 ft Timothy Bottoms18,893 ft Randy Quaid18,085 ft Eileen Brennan17,636 ft John Hillerman17,634 ft