How old must a movie be to be considered a classic?

[Six Year Man]

Several movies of various ages have been called "Classics" at young ages. While there is such a thing as instant classics, that term is used too often. Generally speaking, how old should a movie be to be a classic?

[PunkPhantom]

I'm thinking 10 years. It means it's been around for a while, while 5 years feels too recent.

[Michael24]

Ten years still seems a little to "recent" for me. I believe 25 years is the standard for a car to be considered a classic car, so I think that's good for movies, too. If a movie can still have popularity and critical acclaim after that amount of time, I think it could then be considered a classic.

[sun]

Most movie buffs who know film can spot a classic very early on.
Bueaty and The Beast..(Disney-1991) was an instanat classic. Whatever that means..You knew that film was great. You just knew.

[Jadeling]

To me, a classic is something that can survive at least a generation. So 25+ years seems like a good starting point.

[RedNinja84]

To me, a classic is something that can survive at least a generation. So 25+ years seems like a good starting point.
My thoughts exactly. If you can connect with your parents, grandparents, kids etc. through a movie. Than it is a classic, so about 20 years +

[Chiptooth]

Speaking strictly in terms of years, I'd probably lean toward 20.

Of course, to be honest, it's more than just years that determine whether a movie should be considered a classic. There's lots of garbage movies in the past that are STILL garbage after all these years.

[Manga4life]

There is two different types of "classic" in my opinion, one that had to do with age of the film and one that had to do with content. First of all we have a classic movie that is old and timeless, this kind of movie is classic because of it's impact whether it's good or bad and can be considered classic because of it's age. A second kind of "classic" can be a movie that was just so damn good and universally loved that people give it an instant classic status, these kinds of films are so rare these days because people are so influenced by internet and television critics that I really think the general movie fan can't form their own opinion anymore.

[Moto Pete]

i say 20+ years. It allows time to pass and if it still stands up then i consider it a classic

[DarthGonzo]

People are voting 5-10 years? Really? Okay.

I personally voted 30+ years. When I think "classic" I think of movies made before I was born, stuff that has stood the test of time. There have been a lot of great movies made in the past 5-15 years, but they're all too new to achieve classic status.

[HG Revolution]

I personally voted 30+ years. When I think "classic" I think of movies made before I was born, stuff that has stood the test of time. There have been a lot of great movies made in the past 5-15 years, but they're all too new to achieve classic status.

I dunno, I think those movies that end up significantly impacting the industry can probably be deemed "classic" or at least "modern classic/future classic" in less than thirty years. Pulp Fiction's definitely one, Toy Story another. By your definition, Star Wars wouldn't have been able to be considered a classic until four years ago.

I didn't vote because it's hard to put a time frame on this sort of thing.

[Six Year Man]

To those who vited 10 years: What movies from the past ten years deserve to be called classics?

[darkdetective]

The year after Beauty and the Beast came out Disney was calling it a "classic" and a "masterpiece". I don't thing they were wrong. If you know the movie will be remembered by the general public a generation from now, you can call it a classic, like Star Wars, Rocky, Indiana Jones, Willy Wonka, Titanic or The Ten Commandments. Others you don't know untill a generation has passed, like The Wizard of Oz, King Kong or Gone With the Wind.