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The Towering Inferno

1974 · directed by John Guillermin · 165 min
24,615 feet · Prominence
618th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw75

Lifetime worldwide gross $116m, re-releases included; about $776m in 2026 money.

Rank306 of 11,051In 19742 of 47

How Draw works

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

Praise82

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics69 baseAwards81 signal → +13 lift

Oscars2 won Cinematography, Film Editing5 nominated Picture, Supporting Actor, Production Design, Original Dramatic Score, Sound
Golden Globes2 won Lead acting, Supporting Actor3 nominated Lead acting, Supporting acting, Screenplay
BAFTAs1 won Actor1 nominated 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.

Legacy52

Judged directly: Peak of the disaster cycle.

Verdict52 of 100IMDb7 from 52kWikipedia25k views a monthAge52 years

Scored beside it · 912 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 75 praise 82 legacy 52averages 70, placing it at24,615 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.

In these careers — elevation for this film

Steve McQueen19,603 ftPaul Newman19,516 ftWilliam Holden18,740 ftFaye Dunaway18,492 ftFred Astaire18,352 ftRichard Chamberlain18,311 ftDabney Coleman17,657 ftRobert Vaughn17,641 ftDon Gordon17,640 ftO. J. Simpson17,636 ft