When did Col Needham start creating the IMDb database?
Col Needham began recording film details in 1987 while working as an engineer at Hewlett-Packard. He posted Unix shell scripts to create the searchable database on the 17th of October 1990.
Questions about IMDb
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who bought IMDb and when was the acquisition completed?
Jeff Bezos founder owner and CEO of Amazon.com struck a deal with Col Needham in April 1998 to buy IMDb outright. Amazon paid $55 million for IMDb and two other companies attaching it as a subsidiary private company.
What is the highest-ranked film on the IMDb Top 250 list since 2008?
The Shawshank Redemption directed by Frank Darabont holds the top position on the IMDb Top 250 list. This film has maintained that ranking since 2008 based on ratings from registered users.
Why were the IMDb message boards removed in February 2017?
All message board content was permanently removed on the 20th of February 2017 because the boards no longer provided a positive useful experience for over 250 million monthly users worldwide.
How much does an annual IMDbPro membership cost as of 2025?
IMDbPro requires an annual fee of US$149.99 to access industry features like resume posting and agent contact information. The service allows actors crew and executives to post their own resumes and upload photos.