The 1973 film currently leads the 2024 TV series by six points on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer: 91% from 35 critic reviews, compared with 85% from 53 reviews. These are the title pages’ displayed scores checked on October 8, 2026, and Rotten Tomatoes ratings can change.
Critics’ scores: the 1973 film is ahead
The comparison is between two different formats: Fred Zinnemann’s 1973 feature film and the 2024 television series. Rotten Tomatoes listed the film’s release date as July 30, 1973, and the series’ as November 14, 2024.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
![The Day of the Jackal: Season One [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41CW7s3lF0L._SL160_.jpg)
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The Day of the Jackal: Season One [Blu-ray] | $25.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
![The Day Of The Jackal [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51R3iJmT9TL._SL160_.jpg)
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The Day Of The Jackal [Blu-ray] | $27.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![The Day of the Jackal (Special Edition) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51RyldAzg2L._SL160_.jpg)
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The Day of the Jackal (Special Edition) [Blu-ray] | $59.76 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Mischief Night: The Legend of Jackal James | $17.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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The Day of the Jackal | $3.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| Title | Format | Release date | Tomatometer | Popcornmeter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Day of the Jackal (1973) | Feature film | July 30, 1973 | 91% from 35 critic reviews | 88% from 5,000+ ratings |
| The Day of the Jackal (2024) | Television series; Season 1 displays the same figures | November 14, 2024 | 85% from 53 critic reviews | 77% from 1,000+ ratings |
Scores and counts are the Rotten Tomatoes title-page displays checked October 8, 2026. The film’s Tomatometer is six percentage points higher in that snapshot; the series has more critic reviews in its displayed total. Because scores and review counts can change, this is a dated comparison rather than a permanent ranking.
What the Tomatometer percentage means
The Tomatometer is the share of critics’ reviews classified as positive, not an average grade or a measure of how strongly every critic liked a title. A 91% score therefore does not mean the film’s average review was 91 out of 100, nor does the six-point lead show that every critic preferred the film. The two percentages summarize separate sets of reviews.
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Rotten Tomatoes distinguishes the official score shown on title pages from its adjusted score; the adjusted score is not the official title-page figure. Rotten Tomatoes’ FAQ explains its scoring terminology.
Audience ratings are a separate comparison
The Popcornmeter reflects audience ratings rather than critics’ reviews. In the same checked snapshot, the film displayed 88% from 5,000+ ratings and the series displayed 77% from 1,000+ ratings. Those figures come from audience pools with different rating counts, so they should not be treated as a matched poll or combined with the Tomatometer results.
Rank #2
Why the two versions tell the story differently
Zinnemann directed the 1973 film, with Edward Fox as the Jackal and Michel Lonsdale as Lebel; Frederick Forsyth and Kenneth Ross are credited as screenwriters on Rotten Tomatoes. The film closely follows Forsyth’s novel. The 2024 series stars Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch, and turns the premise into a contemporary cat-and-mouse story between the Jackal and British intelligence officer Bianca. TIME describes the series as expanding the story for television, including the Jackal’s family life, rather than simply repeating the film’s narrower feature-length treatment. TIME’s discussion of the adaptation provides that context.
Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus for the 1973 film reads: “The Day of the Jackal is a meticulously constructed thriller with surprising irreverence and taut direction.” That is the site’s collective consensus, not a quotation from one individual critic.
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