
$31m worldwide in 1970 — $262m in today's money.
As released$31mIn 2026 money$262mRank1,278 of 8,589In 19709 of 38
Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.
Critics 47, awards 52. Half each, so Praise lands at 61.
Critics47 → 24Awards52 → 26
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.
Judged directly: Lean's misfire, entirely forgotten.
Verdict25 of 100IMDb7.4 from 12kWikipedia16k views a monthAge56 years
If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.
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.
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.
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: Robert Mitchum, Trevor Howard, Christopher Jones, John Mills.