Close Encounters of the Third Kind

1977 · directed by Steven Spielberg · 137 min

27,629 feet · Prominence

32nd of 15,261 films scored

The Rewatchables‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

How this film scores

Draw85

$307m worldwide in 1977 — $1.67bn in today's money.

As released$307mIn 2026 money$1.67bnRank41 of 8,589In 19772 of 42

How Draw works

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

Praise93

Critics 91, awards 56. Half each, so Praise lands at 93.

Critics91 → 45Awards56 → 28

Oscars1 won Cinematography7 nominated Director, Supporting Actress, Production Design, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Original Score, Sound

BAFTAs1 nominated Actor

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.

Legacy80

Judged directly: Five notes and Devils Tower, permanent.

Verdict80 of 100IMDb7.6 from 230kWikipedia65k views a monthAge49 years

On the listsNational Film RegistryAFI 100evidence, not an input to the score

Scored beside it · 112 of 3,430 films judged

82The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

80Toy Story 3 (2010)

80Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

80Frozen (2013)

80The Incredibles (2004)

80Toy Story 2 (1999)

80Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

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 85 praise 93 legacy 80averages 86, which places it at27,629 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

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: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon.