Stephen King’s “The Shawshank Redemption” was named best film in 1994

1994 was a damn good year for movies. Out of pulp Fiction And Forrest GumpTo The Lion King And The crowThe audience ate – as the children like to say – well in the theater. However, there was one film that seemingly came out of nowhere and surprised everyone, whose legacy lives on today, according to a recent Rotten Tomatoes fan poll that just concluded The Shawshank Redemption named best film of 1994.

Based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank RedemptionFrank Darabont’s image beat some strong competitors in the poll to take the top spot, including Whoopi Goldberg’s image Corinna, Corinnathe coming-of-age dramedy Reality bites, Wes Craven’s new nightmareJim Carrey’s The maskDisney’s The Lion Kingand finally Quentin Tarantino’s pulp Fiction. With 9,403 votes cast in the final Shawshank concluded the landmark crime thriller with a score of 54% to 46%.

Led by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, The Shawshank Redemption tells the story of Andy Dufresne, a small-town banker who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his cheating wife and her lover. Solidly behind bars, he forms a friendship with Red (Freeman) and a number of other inmates as they navigate life in prison, while Andy meticulously plans his escape. As far as Stephen King adaptations go, it’s definitely one of the best and a film that surprised many when its name was mentioned seven times at the 67th Annual Academy Awards in 1995.

Hardly anyone knew Shawshank existed before its Oscar performance

Published September 23, 1994, so to speak The Shawshank Redemption went unnoticed at the box office would be an understatement. Produced on a budget of just $25 million, the film failed to make back its money and grossed just $16 million after its ten-week run. Without the Oscars the following year, it might not have had the endearing legacy it has today Shawshank was nominated for a surprising seven trophies, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Freeman) and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Although there were no statues that night, it was clear that the film deserved a second look. As such, it was re-released in theaters following its Oscar buzz and would eventually gross $73 million in all domestic and foreign markets, becoming the highest-rented film of 1995. It’s a testament not only to the power of film to the Oscars, but also to moviegoers who pay attention to such things and were willing to give Shawshank one more chance.

To this day, the Stephen King film regularly appears on lists of the best films of all time and was added to the National Film Registry in 2015 to be preserved as one of those films considered “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” .” Whether you agree with Rotten Tomatoes’ fan poll or not, it’s clear The Shawshank Redemption has undoubtedly left its mark on cinema and continues to delight audiences today, 30 years later.