Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes has overhauled its rating system with a major new addition. The popular platform amalgamates reviews from critics and members of the public to give films and TV shows an overall percentage number . Traditionally, the primary focus of the site has been critics’ reviews, with films being deemed “Fresh” or “Rotten” depending on the proportion of positive reviews they receive.
However, Rotten Tomatoes has now launched a new designation, in which films are branded “Verified Hot”, “Hot”, or “Stale”, depending on the feedback of the “Verified Audience”. The “Verified Hot” distinction is being awarded only to films that achieve a 90 per cent positive score among users who attended screenings of the film. Rotten Tomatoes is owned by US ticketing platform Fandango, which is how the website will determine who has actually purchased tickets to the film in question.
According to IndieWire , the website is also in the process of collaborating with other ticketing websites to verify users who purchased tickets elsewhere. Historically, the website’s score system has been vulnerable to manipulation, with some films being targeted with an influx of negative reviews in a deliberate attempt to drive the rating down, a practice known as “review bombing” . Bad Boys: Ride or Die , Deadpool & Wolverine , Twisters , and It Ends With Us , are among the summer releases to receive the new “Verified Hot” badge, with hundred.