# IMDB highest rated movie

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-highest-rated-movie/274787>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 14, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-highest-rated-movie/274787 "2004-11-14T23:33:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-highest-rated-movie/274787/1 "2004-11-14T23:33:44Z")

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What movie has the highest rating (User Rating) on the IMDB website? Let’s say a minimum of 10,000 votes.

Star Wars (1977) is 8.8

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**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-highest-rated-movie/274787/2 "2004-11-14T23:37:02Z")

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Not to kill the thread, but they do have a list of [the 250 Top-Rated Films.](http://www.imdb.com/chart/top)

#1 is The Godfather at 9.0. Return of the King is ranked #2 even though it’s actual rating is 9.1. There’s an explanation of the formula they use at the bottom of the page.

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**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-highest-rated-movie/274787/3 "2004-11-14T23:54:22Z")

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That’s the list I was looking for, thanks.

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**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-highest-rated-movie/274787/4 "2004-11-15T00:26:48Z")

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> [@Marley23](#):
>
> Not to kill the thread, but they do have a list of [the 250 Top-Rated Films.](http://www.imdb.com/chart/top)

Not a single “Ernest” movie I see. Who writes these damn things.

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind was a really good movie though, I didn’t think i’d like it but I see others do too as its 37.

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**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-highest-rated-movie/274787/5 "2004-11-15T00:35:33Z")

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> [@Wesley Clark](#):
>
> Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind was a really good movie though, I didn’t think i’d like it but I see others do too as its 37.

The scores are always artificially high when a movie is new. I believe all three LotR movies were #1 at one point or another (ridiculous if you ask me, I think they’re great - maybe top 50, but top 10? No way.) Eternal Sunshine will probably end up around 150ish, maybe lower.

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**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imdb-highest-rated-movie/274787/6 "2004-11-15T01:27:04Z")

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Indeed, it appears to me that one should wait at least five years before making any guess about the long-term popularity of a movie. Many films have started out quite high in the IMDb’s ratings which have now dropped completely out of the Top 250.