Why Do Some Movies Have High IMDB Ratings But Low Rotten Tomatoes Scores?

Movies often receive conflicting reviews, with some garnering high ratings on IMDb but low scores on Rotten Tomatoes, and vice versa. This discrepancy can be attributed to the different philosophies and metrics used by these review platforms. This article will delve into the reasons behind these divergent ratings and explain how to interpret them.

IMDb: Herd Behavior

IMDb is a platform that largely relies on user opinions, making it a reflection of a broad audience's preferences. The platform's rating system combines both professional and general public opinions, which can sometimes result in skewed ratings due to herd behavior. Fans of a particular franchise, for example, might upvote movies to boost their scores to the utmost extent, creating an upward bias. Conversely, critics from the same fandom might deliberately lower the scores to express their dissatisfaction, leading to a downward bias. This can result in movies receiving extremely high or low ratings regardless of their quality.

Rotten Tomatoes: Paid Critics and Bots

In contrast to IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes focuses on professional reviews, primarily those from certified critics. These critics evaluate movies based on their technical quality, narrative coherence, and broader cinematic standards. However, Rotten Tomatoes also employs a features called the "Rotten Tomatoes Meter" to provide a numerical score, which is often subject to misinterpretation by users. The key distinction is that a "fresh" score (e.g., 66%) means that 66% of the certified critics gave the movie a grade of 6/10 or higher. The numerical score is not a direct reflection of the movie's quality.

Metric Differences: IMDB vs. Rotten Tomatoes

The most significant difference lies in the metrics used by each platform. IMDb rates movies on a scale of 1 to 10, taking into account both professional and audience opinions. Their scoring system includes a correction mechanism to prevent score manipulation, which gives a more nuanced and accurate representation of a movie's reception. Conversely, Rotten Tomatoes separates professional opinions from public feedback, ensuring a clearer distinction between critics' views and the general audience's perspective.

Case Study: Love Life with Anna Kendrick

To illustrate this concept, let's examine a real-world example: the Netflix series Love Life featuring Anna Kendrick. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the series received a Tomatometer score of 59%, classified as "Rotten." This suggests that 41% of the certified critics found the series to be of low quality, with most giving it a score of 6/10 or below. However, the series received an IMDb score of 7.3, indicating that the general public largely enjoyed the series, giving it positive reviews.

When we look at the individual reviews, we find a divide. Certified critics gave the series scores ranging between 2.5/5 and 3.5/5, reflecting a rather tepid or unsatisfactory quality according to their standards. On the other hand, viewers rated it much higher, with a substantial number giving it either a perfect score of 5/5 or quite negative scores of 1/5 or 2/5. This polarity indicates that the critics and the general audience have varying perspectives on what constitutes a good movie.

Conclusion

The discrepancies between IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes scores are due to the different methodologies and target audiences of these platforms. IMDb reflects the general public's opinions, often influenced by herd behavior and fan bias, while Rotten Tomatoes offers a more critical, quality-driven perspective based on professional reviews. Understanding these differences can provide a more comprehensive view of a movie's reception and help audiences make more informed decisions.