The Right Stuff

1983 · directed by Philip Kaufman · 193 min

25,018 feet · Prominence

487th of 15,261 films scored

Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw52

$22m worldwide in 1983 — $71m in today's money.

As released$22mIn 2026 money$71mRank3,208 of 8,589In 198330 of 90

How Draw works

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

Praise96

Critics 94, awards 63. Half each, so Praise lands at 96.

Critics94 → 47Awards63 → 31

Oscars4 won Film Editing, Original Score, Sound, Sound Editing4 nominated Picture, Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Production Design

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.

Legacy58

Judged directly: Space-race canon, the phrase endures.

Verdict58 of 100IMDb7.8 from 67kWikipedia23k views a monthAge43 years

On the listsNational Film RegistryCriterion Collectionevidence, not an input to the score

Scored beside it · 553 of 3,430 films judged

58The School of Rock (2003)

58BlacKkKlansman (2018)

58The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

58Encanto (2021)

58Paddington (2014)

58Almost Famous (2000)

58The Right Stuff (1983)

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 52 praise 96 legacy 58averages 69, which places it at25,018 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: Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid.