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Aliens

1986 · directed by James Cameron · 137 min
27,023 feet · Prominence
90th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredThe 90th highest film on the mountain, and The Rewatchables has never done it.

How this film scores

Draw71

Lifetime worldwide gross $183m, re-releases included; about $552m in 2026 money.

Rank525 of 11,051In 19863 of 141

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.

Critics89 baseAwards59 signal → +3 lift

Oscars2 won Visual Effects, Sound Editing5 nominated Actress, Production Design, Film Editing, Original Score, Sound
Golden Globes1 nominated Actress
BAFTAs1 won Special Visual Effects2 nominated Sound, Makeup and Hair
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.

Legacy80

Judged directly: Ripley, quoted action classic.

Verdict80 of 100IMDb8.4 from 839kWikipedia88k views a monthAge40 years

Scored beside it · 120 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 71 praise 92 legacy 80averages 81, placing it at27,023 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

▲ Carrie Henn▲ Paul Reiser

In these careers — elevation for this film

Sigourney Weaver20,576 ftMichael Biehn19,054 ftBill Paxton19,033 ftLance Henriksen18,703 ftCarrie Henn18,467 ftPaul Reiser18,240 ft