← Apex Mountain

Blue Velvet

1986 · directed by David Lynch · 120 min
25,388 feet · Prominence
383rd of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw44

Lifetime worldwide gross $9m, re-releases included; about $26m in 2026 money.

Rank5,503 of 11,051In 198674 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.

Praise86

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics83 baseAwards31 signal → +3 lift

Oscars1 nominated Director
Golden Globes2 nominated Supporting Actor, 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.

Legacy72

Judged directly: Lynch landmark, Frank Booth permanently iconic.

Verdict72 of 100IMDb7.7 from 235kWikipedia72k views a monthAge40 years

On the listsCriterion CollectionSight & Soundevidence, not an input to the score
Scored beside it · 265 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 44 praise 86 legacy 72averages 67, placing it at25,388 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

▲ Dennis Hopper▲ Isabella Rossellini

In these careers — elevation for this film

Dennis Hopper20,063 ftKyle MacLachlan19,525 ftIsabella Rossellini19,077 ftLaura Dern18,718 ftDean Stockwell17,990 ftHope Lange17,705 ftBrad Dourif17,651 ftJack Nance17,624 ft