Rotten Tomatoes it shows the total positive user score that will be added to the “Certified Fresh” badge for critic scores. A movie or show must have one to qualify for this designation .
There is also a “Hot” badge for content with a Verified Audience Score of 60 percent to 90 percent. Finally, any show or movie that drops below 60 percent will be hit with an “Old” badge.
Rotten Tomatoes tries to avoid review bombardment here by requiring that user reviews come from people who have actually seen the movie in question. There are a few small problems with this. The consumer checks to see the movie through the ticketing firm Fandango, and there are many other ticketing firms out there, including the theater box office.
Also, Comcast owns both Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango, so this seems more like synergistic advertising than a real way to beat the view bombers. Finally, all this verification work is only for movies. There’s no way to check if someone is watching a TV show, so it wouldn’t help all the trolls. .
From a cynic’s point of view, this move only works to further reduce the utility of the entire site. There will be more uncertainty and more icons floating around, making things worse. Will the average user be able to instantly tell the difference between Hot and Fresh?
Average critic score was already problematicbecause reputable reviewers carry the same weight as purveyors of internet garbage. However, Rotten Tomatoes is addressing it by updating the minimum number of critical reviews required before a Tomatometer score appears. For smaller films, the site requires at least ten reviews for a score. Blockbusters will require 40 reviews.
The “Hot” label has already been given to current stock burners Deadpool and Wolverine, Twisters, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Fly me to the moon and Finish with us. The company also says it has retroactively awarded more than 200 films.
