How does one of the largest online databases for movies rank films and how does this compare to the success of the movies themselves?
IMDb Top Ranked Movies has become a source that many movie lovers go to for recommendations or as a guideline. Their ranks are generated based on what critics say and what users input as well. This page will explore if the most highly ranked films reflect such high praise in their financial success. By taking a look at IMDb's Top Movies as of 2021 side-by-side to each film's budget, revenue, and more, we can uncover patterns on what makes a film loved and what makes it successful.
| rank |
name |
year |
rating |
genre |
certificate |
run_time |
budget |
box_office |
directors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Shawshank Redemption |
1994 |
9.3 |
Drama |
R |
2h 22m |
25000000 |
28884504 |
Frank Darabont |
| 2 |
The Godfather |
1972 |
9.2 |
Crime,Drama |
R |
2h 55m |
6000000 |
250341816 |
Francis Ford Coppola |
| 3 |
The Dark Knight |
2008 |
9.0 |
Action,Crime,Drama |
PG-13 |
2h 32m |
185000000 |
1006234167 |
Christopher Nolan |
| 4 |
The Godfather Part II |
1974 |
9.0 |
Crime,Drama |
R |
3h 22m |
13000000 |
47961919 |
Francis Ford Coppola |
| 5 |
12 Angry Men |
1957 |
9.0 |
Crime,Drama |
Approved |
1h 36m |
350000 |
955 |
Sidney Lumet |
| 6 |
Schindler's List |
1993 |
9.0 |
Biography,Drama,History |
R |
3h 15m |
22000000 |
322161245 |
Steven Spielberg |
| 7 |
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King |
2003 |
9.0 |
Action,Adventure,Drama |
PG-13 |
3h 21m |
94000000 |
1146457748 |
Peter Jackson |
| 8 |
Pulp Fiction |
1994 |
8.9 |
Crime,Drama |
R |
2h 34m |
8000000 |
213928762 |
Quentin Tarantino |
| 9 |
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring |
2001 |
8.8 |
Action,Adventure,Drama |
PG-13 |
2h 58m |
93000000 |
898204420 |
Peter Jackson |
| 10 |
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly |
1966 |
8.8 |
Adventure,Western |
Approved |
2h 58m |
1200000 |
25253887 |
Sergio Leone |
| 11 |
Forrest Gump |
1994 |
8.8 |
Drama,Romance |
PG-13 |
2h 22m |
55000000 |
678226465 |
Robert Zemeckis |
| 12 |
Fight Club |
1999 |
8.8 |
Drama |
R |
2h 19m |
63000000 |
101209702 |
David Fincher |
| 13 |
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers |
2002 |
8.8 |
Action,Adventure,Drama |
PG-13 |
2h 59m |
94000000 |
947944270 |
Peter Jackson |
| 14 |
Inception |
2010 |
8.8 |
Action,Adventure,Sci-Fi |
PG-13 |
2h 28m |
160000000 |
836848102 |
Christopher Nolan |
| 15 |
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back |
1980 |
8.7 |
Action,Adventure,Fantasy |
PG |
2h 4m |
18000000 |
538375067 |
Irvin Kershner |
| 16 |
The Matrix |
1999 |
8.7 |
Action,Sci-Fi |
R |
2h 16m |
63000000 |
467222728 |
Lana Wachowski,Lilly Wachowski |
| 17 |
Goodfellas |
1990 |
8.7 |
Biography,Crime,Drama |
R |
2h 25m |
25000000 |
47036784 |
Martin Scorsese |
| 18 |
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
1975 |
8.7 |
Drama |
18 |
2h 13m |
3000000 |
109114817 |
Milos Forman |
| 19 |
Se7en |
1995 |
8.6 |
Crime,Drama,Mystery |
R |
2h 7m |
33000000 |
327333559 |
David Fincher |
| 20 |
Seven Samurai |
1954 |
8.6 |
Action,Drama |
Not Rated |
3h 27m |
125000000 |
346258 |
Akira Kurosawa |
- IMDb Rating
- The average score out of 10 for a movie decided by IMDb users & critics.
- Box Office
- The total amount of money (U.S. dollars) a film earns through ticket sales during its release in the theaters.
- Budget
- The estimated production cost of making a movie (includes cast, crew, sets, and special effects).
- Certificate
- The rating assigned indicating the appropriate viewing audience.
- Genre
- The category of a movie such as Action or Science Fiction.
Box Office VS Rank
| rank | name | year | rating | genre | certificate | run_time | budget | box_office | directors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Shawshank Redemption | 1994 | 9.3 | Drama | R | 2h 22m | 25000000 | 28884504 | Frank Darabont |
| 2 | The Godfather | 1972 | 9.2 | Crime,Drama | R | 2h 55m | 6000000 | 250341816 | Francis Ford Coppola |
| 3 | The Dark Knight | 2008 | 9 | Action,Crime,Drama | PG-13 | 2h 32m | 185000000 | 1006234167 | Christopher Nolan |
| 4 | The Godfather Part II | 1974 | 9 | Crime,Drama | R | 3h 22m | 13000000 | 47961919 | Francis Ford Coppola |
| 5 | 12 Angry Men | 1957 | 9 | Crime,Drama | Approved | 1h 36m | 350000 | 955 | Sidney Lumet |
| 6 | Schindler's List | 1993 | 9 | Biography,Drama,History | R | 3h 15m | 22000000 | 322161245 | Steven Spielberg |
| 7 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | 2003 | 9 | Action,Adventure,Drama | PG-13 | 3h 21m | 94000000 | 1146457748 | Peter Jackson |
Naturally, we may assume that highly ranked movies are also the biggest earners, but is that really the case? Comparing the movies' box offices to their rankings, we see otherwise. For instance, 12 Angry Men has the lowest box office at 955 dollars while holding a high rank of 5. On the other hand, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King has the highest box office at 1146457748 dollars and yet it is ranked below 12 Angry Men at rank 7. Although, skimming through we can see that most of the top ranked movies have a high box office, it is not a guarantee nor can we state that one is a direct reflection of the other.
Budget VS Box Office
| rank | name | year | rating | certificate | run_time | budget | box_office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | 2003 | 9 | PG-13 | 3h 21m | 94000000 | 1146457748 |
| 8 | Pulp Fiction | 1994 | 8.9 | R | 2h 34m | 8000000 | 213928762 |
| 9 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | 2001 | 8.8 | PG-13 | 2h 58m | 93000000 | 898204420 |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| 18 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | 1975 | 8.7 | 18 | 2h 13m | 3000000 | 109114817 |
| 19 | Se7en | 1995 | 8.6 | R | 2h 7m | 33000000 | 327333559 |
| 20 | Seven Samurai | 1954 | 8.6 | Not Rated | 3h 27m | 125000000 | 346258 |
The finacial risk of each movie is another important factor. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, for example, has a 1052457748 dollar gain by subracting its budget from its box office. This is the highest gain and is still a highly influencial movie. Seven Samurai, contrastingly, had a -124653742 dollar result by subtracting its budget from its box office. This is a huge loss and for one of the most acclaimed films made. Large investments can lead to huge rewards but it can also do the opposite.