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Norma Rae

1979 · directed by Martin Ritt · 110 min
23,945 feet · Prominence
901st of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw54

Lifetime worldwide gross $22m, re-releases included; about $101m in 2026 money.

Rank2,913 of 11,051In 197935 of 64

How Draw works

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

Praise85

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics76 baseAwards75 signal → +9 lift

Oscars1 won Actress2 nominated Picture, Adapted Screenplay
Golden Globes1 won Lead acting2 nominated Best Picture, Screenplay
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.

Legacy50

Judged directly: The union sign is permanent labour iconography.

Verdict50 of 100IMDb7.3 from 13kWikipedia12k views a monthAge47 years

On the listsNational Film Registryevidence, not an input to the score
Scored beside it · 1,052 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 54 praise 85 legacy 50averages 63, placing it at23,945 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 Field

In these careers — elevation for this film

Sally Field20,083 ftRon Leibman18,676 ftBeau Bridges18,285 ftPat Hingle17,943 ftBarbara Baxley17,807 ftFrank McRae17,632 ft