The Shawshank Redemption currently dominates The Notebook 69–31
Darabont's architecture of hope outlasts a love story's emotional surge.
Who do you think should win?
The Verdict
What separates Shawshank from most inspirational films is that it makes you wait. The opera scene, the library, the beer on the rooftop — each is a small victory inside a larger defeat, and Darabont trusts the audience to hold all of them simultaneously. The Notebook compresses its emotional arc into a handful of passionate scenes separated by time jumps, which works as romance but doesn't accumulate the same way. At 69 to 31 from 61 votes, the margin says patience wins — voters respond more to a film that earns its ending over decades than one that earns it through intensity.
The Numbers
| The Shawshank Redemption | The Notebook | |
|---|---|---|
| Head-to-Head | 69% | 31% |
| Overall Win Rate | 57% | 51% |
| Championships | 20 | 10 |
| Avg Decision | 1.9s | 1.4s |
| Budget | $25M | $29M |
| Box Office | $28M | $116M |
Where This Matchup Sits
Across genres on BingeBracket, The Shawshank Redemption is in the top quarter of Drama and The Notebook sits at #8 in Romance.
The championship record tells the same story: The Shawshank Redemption has 20 tournament wins to The Notebook's 10. The pedigree gap matches the head-to-head gap.
The Shawshank Redemption and The Notebook cost roughly the same to make — $25M and $29M — but The Notebook earned $116M to The Shawshank Redemption's $28M. Despite the box office gap, The Shawshank Redemption wins the head-to-head.
Where to Watch
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