The Thin Red Line

1998 · directed by Terrence Malick · 171 min

24,559 feet · Prominence

607th of 15,261 films scored

Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw61

$98m worldwide in 1998 — $199m in today's money.

As released$98mIn 2026 money$199mRank1,660 of 8,589In 199836 of 165

How Draw works

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

Praise85

Critics 79, awards 56. Half each, so Praise lands at 85.

Critics79 → 40Awards56 → 28

Oscars7 nominated Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing, Original Dramatic Score, Sound

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.

Legacy52

Judged directly: Criterion Malick, cinephile standing endures.

Verdict52 of 100IMDb7.6 from 212kWikipedia43k views a monthAge28 years

On the listsCriterion Collectionevidence, not an input to the score

Scored beside it · 739 of 3,430 films judged

52Ray (2004)

52Billy Elliot (2000)

52A Room with a View (1986)

52Ice Age (2002)

52My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

52Time Bandits (1981)

52The Thin Red Line (1998)

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 85 legacy 52averages 66, which places it at24,559 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

John Travolta21,603 ft George Clooney21,600 ft