Chinatown

1974 · directed by Roman Polanski · 130 min

27,525 feet · Prominence

46th of 24,106 films scored

Not coveredThe 46th highest film on the mountain, and The Rewatchables has never done it.

How this film scores

Draw61

Lifetime worldwide gross $30m, re-releases included; about $201m in 2026 money.

Rank1,725 of 11,051In 197415 of 47

How Draw works

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

Praise97

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics95 baseAwards98 signal → +2 lift

Oscars1 won Original Screenplay10 nominated Picture, Director, Actress, Actor, Cinematography, Costume Design, Production Design, Film Editing, Original Dramatic Score, Sound

Golden Globes4 won Motion Picture, Director, Actor, Screenplay2 nominated Lead acting, Supporting acting

BAFTAs3 won Direction, Actor, Screenplay6 nominated Best Picture, Lead acting, Supporting acting, Production Design, Costume Design, 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.

Legacy88

Judged directly: Chinatown reviewed.

Verdict88 of 100IMDb8.1 from 375kWikipedia56k views a monthAge52 years

On the listsNational Film RegistryAFI 100Sight & Soundevidence, not an input to the score

Scored beside it · 40 of 4,039 films judged

88The Sixth Sense (1999)

88Halloween (1978)

88Iron Man (2008)

88Ghostbusters (1984)

88Die Hard (1988)

88A Clockwork Orange (1971)

88Chinatown (1974)

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 61 praise 97 legacy 88averages 82, placing it at27,525 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

▲ Faye Dunaway ▲ John Huston ▲ John Hillerman

In these careers — elevation for this film

Faye Dunaway20,608 ft Jack Nicholson20,608 ft John Huston19,009 ft Burt Young17,919 ft John Hillerman17,892 ft Perry Lopez17,842 ft Diane Ladd17,652 ft James Hong17,643 ft