Thirty years later, The Shawshank Redemption is still considered the greatest film of all time (beating out The Godfather).

The Shawshank Redemption is one of the most popular films in history. The film adaptation of Stephen King’s book was released in 1994 and proved that the writer can write not only scary stories, but also completely realistic stories about ordinary people with difficult fates.

The story of accountant Andy Dufresne, who is in prison on charges of murdering his wife, shocked viewers with an honest look at American prisons. Fans raved about the performances of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, and the film itself was received 7 Oscar nominations.

American critics reviewed “The Shawshank Redemption” 89% “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, but that didn’t help Frank Darabont’s film break even at the box office.

The film, now considered one of the best in history, could only be collected 28 million with a budget of 25 million – a terrible outcome for Stephen King’s own film adaptation.

However, everyone quickly forgot about the poor box office results. The heartbreaking plot and the incredible success on VHS made The Shawshank Redemption a cult classic within a few years of its release in theaters.

In 2024, Darabont’s film is considered one of the best films in Hollywood. Russian viewers rated it as incredible 9.1 points. The film was viewed by over a million Kinopoisk users, who named it the third best film in history.

The tape has maintained its rating for more than a decade. “The Shawshank Redemption” even surpassed “The Godfather,” which KP users ranked only 86th among the best films in cinema history.