← Apex Mountain

The Abyss

1989 · directed by James Cameron · 140 min
23,185 feet · Prominence
1,297th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw63

Lifetime worldwide gross $90m, re-releases included; about $240m in 2026 money.

Rank1,456 of 11,051In 198919 of 156

How Draw works

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

Praise72

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics69 baseAwards24 signal → +4 lift

Oscars1 won Visual Effects3 nominated Cinematography, Production Design, Sound
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: Cameron effects milestone, deep-sea cult.

Verdict45 of 100IMDb7.5 from 206kWikipedia0k views a monthAge37 years

Scored beside it · 1,404 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 63 praise 72 legacy 45averages 60, placing it at23,185 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

▲ Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio▲ Michael Biehn

In these careers — elevation for this film

Ed Harris20,076 ftMary Elizabeth Mastrantonio19,326 ftMichael Biehn18,913 ftChris Elliott17,795 ft