Synopsis
Fast Eddie Felson teaches a cocky but immensely talented protégé the ropes of pool hustling, which in turn inspires him to make an unlikely comeback.
Scores
Overall Score
87.3
Popularity Percentile (Year)
86.9%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
93.1%
Review Aggregate
77.8
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is largely positive, with 84% of 37 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize visually striking, stylized, character-driven. Most critics frame the film as an effective delivery of its core style and intent.
visually strikingstylizedcharacter-drivencoming of agegrittyemotional
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Newman | 1986 | $1,180,000 | $3,377,000 | (est) |
| Tom Cruise | 1986 | $726,000 | $2,079,000 | (est) |
| Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio | 1986 | $547,000 | $1,565,000 | (est) |
| Helen Shaver | 1986 | $447,000 | $1,280,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score87.0
RT critic review count47
Rotten Tomatoes audience score73.0
RT audience rating count25,000
IMDb rating7.0
IMDb votes98,482
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1986 | $52,293,982 | $149,677,209 |
| International | 1986 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 1986 | $52,293,982 | $149,677,209 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1986 | $26,146,991 | $74,838,605 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1986 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1986 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1986 | $30,364,000 | $86,908,639 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1986 | $13,038,000 | $37,317,706 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1986 | $13,073,496 | $37,419,302 |
| Total Revenues | 1986 | $82,622,486 | $236,484,252 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1986 | $14,500,000 | $41,502,281 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1986 | $10,747,000 (est) | $30,760,346 (est) |
| Participations | 1986 | $6,610,000 | $18,919,316 |
| Residuals ? | 1986 | $3,830,000 | $10,962,327 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1986 | $2,900,000 | $8,300,456 |
| Total Expenses | 1986 | $38,587,000 | $110,444,725 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1986 | $44,035,486 | $126,039,527 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Two for the Money | 2005 | Shared genres: 4 | 67.9 | $9,665,672 |
![]() | Diggstown | 1992 | Shared genres: 4 | 50.7 | $11,687,111 |
![]() | Catch Me If You Can | 2002 | Shared genres: 3 | 97.0 | $116,707,558 |
![]() | American Hustle | 2013 | Shared genres: 3 | 92.8 | $75,280,489 |
![]() | Focus | 2015 | Shared genres: 3 | 86.9 | $-2,633,069,778 |




