It has for me.
Back in 2005, I considered movies 10-12 years old "new classics".
But these days, I call movies new classics after just 5 years.
My guess is, due to the sheer volume of movies released since 15 years ago, one is twice as quick to call a film a new classic. My two cents.
"instant classic" has been in use for a long time now.
shareAre you comfortable with that?
I can call a good joke or quote an "instant classic", but a movie? That's subjective, not everyone is willing to call a movie they just saw in the theater any type of classic.
To be honest, I don't care. I like what I like but I don't pay much attention to those labels. Some of my favorites are considered classics but some others are not. I don't adopt or reject based on such criteria.
And what makes a joke less subjective than a film?
I guess the difference in length.
You can tell a good joke 30x in two hours, or watch a good movie 1 time.
but the judgment is still subjective. and you've baked in your own judgment when you call it "good" from the start. I doubt any joke told 30x in 2 hours is received the same way. Just like all the people in all the theaters across the world watching the same film won't come away with the same assessment.
shareI think "samoanjoes" said it best down there.
shareFor me, I wouldn't say anything less than 20 years is a classic. A classic needs to stand the test of time
There's no way to know this immediately. I think 20 years is enough time to say something is a classic. It's definitely an arbitrary number, but any number put to it is arbitrary.