Unraveling the Mystery of the Informant Rotten Tomatoes Ratings
The Rotten Tomatoes website is a popular platform for movie fans and critics worldwide to showcase their movie ratings and reviews. However, what most people don’t know is how the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes get determined. The rating system used by Rotten Tomatoes was primarily designed to help viewers make informed decisions about the movies they want to watch. The platform has a unique rating system that aggregates review scores to provide a popular rating that is used to rate movies, called the Tomatometer.
Understanding the Tomatometer
The Tomatometer assigns scores to movies based on the collective rating from a set of approved critics. The scores are then averaged, and movies falling between 0-59% are rated as rotten, 60-74% as fresh, and 75% and above as certified fresh. The Tomatometer is a useful tool for movie lovers as it provides a snapshot of what critics are saying about a particular movie.
However, users on Rotten Tomatoes are not limited to reading critic reviews. The platform also collects audience ratings and reviews that are separate from the Tomatometer rating. The audience rating reflects the average score calculated from viewers who have rated the movie on the site using a 5-star rating system. Unlike the Tomatometer, audience ratings are not verified, and the ratings can be manipulated.
Uncovering the Mystery Behind the Informant Ratings
In 2019, Rotten Tomatoes introduced a new feature called ‘Verified Ratings’ that was aimed at mitigating rating manipulation. Verified ratings display the scores of users who can prove they have bought a ticket for the movie in question. However, Rotten Tomatoes has been faced with yet another challenge with the introduction of the “informant ratings.”
A study commissioned by Slate Magazine investigated the accuracy of the audience rating system and unveiled a significant challenge that Rotten Tomatoes is currently facing, the “informant ratings.” These ratings stem from a group of users who claim to have insider information about a particular movie before it gets released, and on this basis, rate the movie either positively or negatively. These ratings are usually posted before the release date of the movie and affect the overall score on Rotten Tomatoes. This manipulation of ratings undermines the credibility of Rotten Tomatoes and affects the quality of its reviews.
The Impact of Informant Ratings on Rotten Tomatoes
The informant ratings have had a significant impact on many movies’ reputations, causing negative or positive ratings long before their release. An example is the 2017 “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” which had to endure negative informant ratings even before the movie was released. This had a ripple effect on its score, which got slammed by many reviewers leading to a drop in its overall box office results.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Rotten Tomatoes has been a reliable platform for movie ratings, but the challenge brought about by “informant ratings” threatens to undermine its credibility. The platform needs to come up with a more robust system that can safeguard the integrity of the ratings and reviews it provides. It is key to continue to bring in more transparency and fairness with the movie rating system to provide reliable reviews to the movie-goers.
