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Basic Instinct

1992 · directed by Paul Verhoeven · 128 min
24,380 feet · Prominence
711st of 24,106 films scored
The Rewatchables‘Basic Instinct’ Live From SF With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, and Van Lathan →

How this film scores

Draw76

Lifetime worldwide gross $353m, re-releases included; about $830m in 2026 money.

Rank276 of 11,051In 19924 of 166

How Draw works

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

Praise54

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics50 baseAwards19 signal → +5 lift

Oscars2 nominated Film Editing, Original Score
Golden Globes1 nominated Lead 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.

Legacy65

Judged directly: The interrogation scene is endlessly parodied.

Verdict65 of 100IMDb7.1 from 241kWikipedia65k views a monthAge34 years

Scored beside it · 430 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 76 praise 54 legacy 65averages 65, placing it at24,380 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

▲ George Dzundza

In these careers — elevation for this film

Sharon Stone20,479 ftMichael Douglas19,832 ftJeanne Tripplehorn18,533 ftGeorge Dzundza18,321 ftStephen Tobolowsky17,647 ftJames Rebhorn17,642 ftWayne Knight17,636 ft