In 2003, In the Heat of the Night was selected by The New York Times as one of the 1000 Best Movies Ever Made.[34]
American Film Institute recognition
The film appears on several 100 Years lists by the American Film Institute.
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition): #75
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains:
- Virgil Tibbs: #19 Hero
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
- Virgil Tibbs: "They call me Mister Tibbs!": #16
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers: #21
Preservation
The Academy Film Archive preserved In the Heat of the Night in 1997.[35] In 2002, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[5]
