Synopsis
Mel Brooks brings his one-of-a-kind comic touch to the history of mankind covering events from the Old Testament to the French Revolution in a series of episodic comedy vignettes.
Scores
Overall Score
77.2
Popularity Percentile (Year)
84.2%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
72.5%
Review Aggregate
69.8
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is mixed, with 62% of 21 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize funny, family-friendly, coming of age. Common reservations focus on execution consistency, even when reviewers praise standout elements.
funnyfamily-friendlycoming of agehistoricalcharacter-drivenemotional
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mel Brooks | 1981 | $7,000,000 source | $24,157,315 | reported |
| Dom DeLuise | 1981 | $296,000 | $1,022,000 | (est) |
| Madeline Kahn | 1981 | $223,000 | $769,000 | (est) |
| Harvey Korman | 1981 | $182,000 | $629,000 | (est) |
| Cloris Leachman | 1981 | $156,000 | $538,000 | (est) |
| Ron Carey | 1981 | $137,000 | $474,000 | (est) |
| Gregory Hines | 1981 | $123,000 | $425,000 | (est) |
| Pamela Stephenson | 1981 | $112,000 | $387,000 | (est) |
| Shecky Greene | 1981 | $103,000 | $357,000 | (est) |
| Sid Caesar | 1981 | $96,000 | $331,000 | (est) |
| Mary-Margaret Humes | 1981 | $90,000 | $310,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score61.0
RT critic review count36
Rotten Tomatoes audience score81.0
RT audience rating count50,000
IMDb rating6.8
IMDb votes57,658
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1981 | $31,672,908 | $109,304,630 |
| International | 1981 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 1981 | $31,672,908 | $109,304,630 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1981 | $15,836,454 | $54,652,315 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1981 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1981 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1981 | $7,224,000 | $24,930,349 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1981 | $6,140,000 | $21,189,416 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1981 | $7,918,227 | $27,326,158 |
| Total Revenues | 1981 | $37,118,681 | $128,098,238 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1981 | $10,000,000 | $34,510,450 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1981 | $5,831,000 (est) | $20,123,043 (est) |
| Participations | 1981 | $1,485,000 | $5,124,802 |
| Residuals ? | 1981 | $1,360,000 | $4,693,421 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1981 | $2,000,000 | $6,902,090 |
| Total Expenses | 1981 | $20,676,000 | $71,353,806 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1981 | $16,442,681 | $56,744,432 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Robin Hood: Men in Tights | 1993 | Shared genres: 3 | 83.9 | $60,943,817 |
 | Topsy-Turvy | 1999 | Shared genres: 3 | 60.4 | $24,604,726 |
 | The Pirate Movie | 1982 | Shared genres: 3 | 45.3 | $-450,516 |
 | Aladdin | 1992 | Shared genres: 2 | 97.7 | $232,328,119 |
 | Frozen | 2013 | Shared genres: 2 | 96.1 | $294,764,021 |