← Apex Mountain

Dirty Dancing

1987 · directed by Emile Ardolino · 100 min
26,737 feet · Prominence
129th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredThe 129th highest film on the mountain, and The Rewatchables has never done it.

How this film scores

Draw73

Lifetime worldwide gross $215m, re-releases included; about $623m in 2026 money.

Rank440 of 11,051In 19874 of 162

How Draw works

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

Praise75

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics69 baseAwards42 signal → +6 lift

Oscars1 won Original Song
Golden Globes1 won Original Song2 nominated Best Picture, Lead acting
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.

Legacy85

Judged directly: Nobody puts Baby in a corner; the lift.

Verdict85 of 100IMDb7.1 from 278kWikipedia59k views a monthAge39 years

On the listsNational Film Registryevidence, not an input to the score
Scored beside it · 72 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 73 praise 75 legacy 85averages 78, placing it at26,737 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

▲ Patrick Swayze▲ Jennifer Grey▲ Cynthia Rhodes▲ Jack Weston

In these careers — elevation for this film

Patrick Swayze20,120 ftJennifer Grey19,605 ftJerry Orbach18,507 ftCynthia Rhodes18,197 ftJack Weston18,014 ftNeal Jones17,671 ftWayne Knight17,639 ft