12 Years a Slave

2013 · directed by Steve McQueen · 134 min

26,255 feet · Prominence

205th of 15,261 films scored

Not coveredThe 205th highest film on the mountain, and The Rewatchables has never done it.

How this film scores

Draw64

$187m worldwide in 2013 — $265m in today's money.

As released$187mIn 2026 money$265mRank1,265 of 8,589In 201343 of 251

How Draw works

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

Praise98

Critics 96, awards 93. Half each, so Praise lands at 98.

Critics96 → 48Awards93 → 46

Oscars3 won Picture, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay6 nominated Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Costume Design, Production Design, Film Editing

Golden Globes1 won Motion Picture

BAFTAs1 won Film

How Praise works

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.

Legacy68

Judged directly: Acclaimed, Best Picture, lasting weight.

Verdict68 of 100IMDb8.1 from 786kWikipedia75k views a monthAge13 years

On the listsNational Film Registryevidence, not an input to the score

Scored beside it · 309 of 3,430 films judged

68Joker (2019)

68Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

68Logan (2017)

68Catch Me If You Can (2002)

68Black Swan (2010)

68Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

6812 Years a Slave (2013)

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 64 praise 98 legacy 68averages 77, which places it at26,255 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

Brad Pitt21,799 ft