
$72m worldwide in 1968 — $682m in today's money.
As released$72mIn 2026 money$682mRank376 of 8,589In 19681 of 35
Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.
Critics 87, awards 55. Half each, so Praise lands at 91.
Critics87 → 44Awards55 → 27
Half critics, half a tiered award record where Picture and Directing carry most of the weight. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.
Judged directly: HAL and the monolith, endlessly influential.
Verdict93 of 100IMDb8.3 from 773kWikipedia128k views a monthAge58 years
If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.
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.
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.
No scored career runs through this film yet. The people-side engine currently covers 108careers, and this film’s cast sits outside them. Top billing: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Douglas Rain.