← Apex Mountain

Men in Black

1997 · directed by Barry Sonnenfeld · 98 min
26,636 feet · Prominence
144th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredThe 144th highest film on the mountain, and The Rewatchables has never done it.

How this film scores

Draw81

Lifetime worldwide gross $589m, re-releases included; about $1.21bn in 2026 money.

Rank114 of 11,051In 19973 of 213

How Draw works

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

Praise84

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics82 baseAwards31 signal → +3 lift

Oscars1 won Makeup and Hairstyling2 nominated Production Design, Original Musical or Comedy Score
Golden Globes1 nominated Best Picture
BAFTAs1 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.

Legacy75

Judged directly: 90s icon, neuralyzer, catchy theme.

Verdict75 of 100IMDb7.3 from 658kWikipedia48k views a monthAge29 years

Scored beside it · 193 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 81 praise 84 legacy 75averages 80, placing it at26,636 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

▲ Vincent D'Onofrio

In these careers — elevation for this film

Will Smith20,573 ftTommy Lee Jones19,928 ftVincent D'Onofrio18,594 ftLinda Fiorentino18,422 ftRip Torn18,174 ftTony Shalhoub18,084 ftDanny DeVito17,675 ftKaren Lynn Gorney17,658 ftSylvester Stallone17,658 ftVerne Troyer17,642 ft