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The Sand Pebbles

1966 · directed by Robert Wise · 196 min
22,809 feet · Prominence
1,525th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw61

Lifetime worldwide gross $20m, re-releases included; about $204m in 2026 money.

Rank1,701 of 11,051In 19669 of 34

How Draw works

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

Praise91

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics86 baseAwards77 signal → +5 lift

Oscars7 nominated Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Film Editing, Original Score, Color, Sound
Golden Globes1 won Supporting Actor4 nominated Best Picture, Lead acting, Supporting acting, 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.

Legacy30

Judged directly: Big roadshow epic, now forgotten.

Verdict30 of 100IMDb7.5 from 17kWikipedia12k views a monthAge60 years

Scored beside it · 2,475 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 61 praise 91 legacy 30averages 61, placing it at22,809 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 McQueen19,993 ftRichard Attenborough18,897 ftRichard Crenna18,428 ftCandice Bergen18,060 ftJames Hong17,634 ft