Synopsis
Maverick teacher John Keating returns in 1959 to the prestigious New England boys' boarding school where he was once a star student, using poetry to embolden his pupils to new heights of self-expression.
Scores
Overall Score
96.5
Popularity Percentile (Year)
99.3%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
98.8%
Review Aggregate
86.5
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is largely positive, with 84% of 50 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize character-driven, uplifting, family-friendly. Most critics frame the film as an effective delivery of its core style and intent.
character-drivenupliftingfamily-friendlygrittyemotionalsuspensefulstylized
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robin Williams | 1989 | $3,280,000 | $8,298,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score85.0
RT critic review count65
Rotten Tomatoes audience score92.0
RT audience rating count250,000
IMDb rating8.1
IMDb votes609,895
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1989 | $95,860,110 | $242,510,631 |
| International | 1989 | $79,619,320 | $201,424,049 |
| Worldwide | 1989 | $175,480,940 | $443,938,500 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1989 | $79,777,783 | $201,824,935 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1989 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1989 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1989 | $49,149,000 | $124,339,050 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1989 | $27,253,000 | $68,945,698 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1989 | $26,840,831 | $67,902,977 |
| Total Revenues | 1989 | $183,020,614 | $463,012,660 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1989 | $16,400,000 | $41,489,357 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1989 | $20,500,000 (est) | $51,861,696 (est) |
| Participations | 1989 | $27,453,000 | $69,451,666 |
| Residuals ? | 1989 | $6,933,000 | $17,539,373 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1989 | $3,280,000 | $8,297,871 |
| Total Expenses | 1989 | $74,566,000 | $188,639,964 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1989 | $108,454,614 | $274,372,696 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Mona Lisa Smile | 2003 | Shared genres: 6 | 79.7 | $21,381,528 |
 | The Emperor's Club | 2002 | Shared genres: 6 | 62.1 | $23,055,755 |
 | Mga munting tinig | 2003 | Shared genres: 6 | 24.3 | $8,246,739 |
 | Finding Forrester | 2000 | Shared genres: 5 | 81.4 | $27,767,554 |
 | The Man Without a Face | 1993 | Shared genres: 5 | 69.4 | $42,254,254 |