The Shape of Water

2017 · directed by Guillermo del Toro · 123 min

25,616 feet · Prominence

323rd of 24,106 films scored

Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw63

Lifetime worldwide gross $195m, re-releases included; about $263m in 2026 money.

Rank1,317 of 11,051In 201743 of 325

How Draw works

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

Praise95

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics90 baseAwards98 signal → +5 lift

Oscars4 won Picture, Director, Production Design, Original Score9 nominated Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Sound, Sound Editing

Golden Globes2 won Director, Screenplay4 nominated Best Picture, Lead acting, Supporting acting, Screenplay

BAFTAs2 won Direction, Craft and other5 nominated Best Picture, Lead acting, Supporting acting, Screenplay, Craft and other

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.

Legacy62

Judged directly: Criterion, Best Picture, del Toro signature.

Verdict62 of 100IMDb7.3 from 473kWikipedia0k views a monthAge9 years

On the listsCriterion Collectionevidence, not an input to the score

Scored beside it · 461 of 4,039 films judged

62Lost in Translation (2003)

62The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

62Superman II (1980)

62Logan (2017)

62The Pianist (2002)

62Oliver! (1968)

62The Shape of Water (2017)

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 95 legacy 62averages 73, placing it at25,616 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

▲ Sally Hawkins ▲ Doug Jones

In these careers — elevation for this film

Sally Hawkins20,420 ft Richard Jenkins19,312 ft Michael Shannon19,288 ft Octavia Spencer19,066 ft Doug Jones18,920 ft Michael Stuhlbarg18,246 ft Nick Searcy17,774 ft