How this film scores
Lifetime worldwide gross $5m, re-releases included; about $12m in 2026 money.
Rank6,719 of 11,051In 1989102 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.
Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.
Critics92 baseAwards27 signal → +1 lift
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. This film is near critically unanimous and barely registers on awards, so there is little headroom for awards to claim. The score is the critics' verdict, nearly untouched.
Judged directly: First mainstream AIDS film, historically significant.
Verdict42 of 100IMDb7.6 from 6kWikipedia3k views a monthAge37 years
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.
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.