What is the iRankMovies score for Raiders of the Lost Ark?

Name: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: action, adventure
Released: 1981
Duration: 1 h 55 min
Rating: 8.4

Raiders of the Lost Ark has an iRankMovies score of 86.4/100, based on a weighted combination of IMDb (×3.0), Rotten Tomatoes (×2.0), Metacritic (×1.5), and TMDb (×1.0).

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

The return of the great adventure.

Release:1981

Runtime:1h 55m

Country:United States

Director:Steven Spielberg

Language:English

Genre

ActionAdventure

See the best action movies →

Keywords

egyptTreasureMedallionSwastikaSaving The WorldNepalHimalaya Mountain RangeCairo

iRank86

Raiders of the Lost Ark rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb8.4/10· 1.1M votes

Rotten Tomatoes94%

Metacritic86%

TMDb7.923/10· 14K votes

With 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 8.4/10 on IMDb and 86/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About Raiders of the Lost Ark

When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.

Cast of Raiders of the Lost Ark

Harrison Ford
as Indiana Jones
Karen Allen
as Marion Ravenwood
Paul Freeman
as Dr. René Belloq
John Rhys-Davies
as Sallah
Ronald Lacey
as Major Arnold Toht
Wolf Kahler
as Colonel Dietrich
Anthony Higgins
as Gobler
Denholm Elliott
as Dr. Marcus Brody
Alfred Molina
as Satipo
Vic Tablian
as Barranca / Monkey Man
Don Fellows
as Col. Musgrove
William Hootkins
as Major Eaton

Raiders of the Lost Ark facts

Budget: $18M
Box office: $389.9M
Collection: Indiana Jones Collection

Our take on Raiders of the Lost Ark

Spielberg's 1981 classic introduced Indiana Jones, the whip-cracking archaeologist racing the Nazis to a biblical relic. A loving throwback to old adventure serials, it's pure breathless craft — set piece after iconic set piece. If its rollicking thrills and globe-trotting fun delighted you, seek out adventure films and treasure-hunt capers built on charm, momentum and grand old-fashioned spectacle.

Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026Methodology Data sources

Audience opinions

What the audience liked

•Spielberg creates adventure set pieces that feel physically real and genuinely dangerous
•Archaeologist hero embodies perfect blend of competence, vulnerability, and charm
•Artifact quest taps into primal storytelling about discovery and ancient mysteries

What the audience disliked

•1930s setting occasionally feels like exotic backdrop rather than lived historical world
•Romantic subplot takes backseat to action, leaving character arc somewhat underdeveloped

Saga: Indiana Jones Collection