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Michael Clayton

2007 · directed by Tony Gilroy · 120 min
23,771 feet · Prominence
988th of 24,106 films scored
The Rewatchables'Michael Clayton’ With Chris Ryan, Justin Charity, and Lindsay Zoladz →

How this film scores

Draw58

Lifetime worldwide gross $93m, re-releases included; about $148m in 2026 money.

Rank2,187 of 11,051In 200755 of 320

How Draw works

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

Praise92

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics86 baseAwards89 signal → +6 lift

Oscars1 won Supporting Actress6 nominated Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, Original Score
Golden Globes4 nominated Motion Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting acting
BAFTAs1 won Actress3 nominated Actor, Original 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.

Legacy42

Judged directly: Admired legal thriller, little imprint.

Verdict42 of 100IMDb7.2 from 180kWikipedia28k views a monthAge19 years

Scored beside it · 1,549 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 58 praise 92 legacy 42averages 64, placing it at23,771 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

▲ Tilda Swinton▲ Tom Wilkinson

In these careers — elevation for this film

George Clooney20,099 ftTilda Swinton20,099 ftTom Wilkinson19,959 ftSydney Pollack18,439 ftKatherine Waterston17,648 ftDenis O'Hare17,637 ft