Frequently Asked Questions
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ABOUT ROTTEN TOMATOES
Who owns Rotten Tomatoes? Who is the parent company?
In February 2016, Rotten Tomatoes and its parent site Flixster were acquired by Fandango (which is owned by Comcast). Warner Bros. retains a minority stake in the merged entities, including Fandango.
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COMMUNITY CODE OF CONDUCT
Does Rotten Tomatoes have a Community Code of Conduct?
We're all about debate and discussion at Rotten Tomatoes and want to know what our fans think. Learn more about our community code of conduct.
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ACCESSIBILITY
At Fandango, we are committed to making our products, content, and experiences accessible to the widest possible audience, including people with disabilities. We are actively working to increase the accessibility and usability of Rotten Tomatoes. This website strives to conform to level AA of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1. We also provide closed captions on movie trailers that are available through our website. For more information or to contact us about an issue related to website accessibility, please contact us: Customer Support.
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TOMATOMETER
What is the Tomatometer?
The Tomatometer score represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show. A Tomatometer score is calculated for a movie or TV show after it receives at least five reviews. Learn more about our Tomatometer.
When does a Tomatometer score appear on the site?
A Tomatometer score is calculated for a film or TV show once it has received at least five reviews.
Why do some scores fluctuate or change?
The Tomatometer is a fluid measurement that can change over time as more reviews are added for a given film or TV show. Learn more about our Tomatometer.
What is the difference between the Tomatometer and Audience Score?
The Tomatometer score is calculated from reviews published by Tomatometer-approved critics. The Audience Score is calculated from ratings submitted to Rotten Tomatoes by users. Learn more about our Tomatometer and the Audience Score.
Why doesn't Rotten Tomatoes have a mixed rating?
Tomatometer scores fall into 3 easy-to-understand categories: Fresh (60% and up), Rotten (59% and below), and Certified Fresh for films with more than 75% positive reviews that meet other criteria -- see the criteria. For reviews that have an original (outside) rating (e.g. star, letter grade, numeric) we post that with the review on the site.
What is the Adjusted Tomatometer?
The Adjusted Tomatometer Score, which often appears in editorial lists, takes into account the number of reviews, the year of release, and the average Tomatometer scores of other films released contemporaneously. It is primarily used when comparing or ranking films across several decades. The adjusted score is not the official Tomatometer score – and is not used on a movie or TV page.
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REVIEWS
What is an embargo date?
A review embargo is set by the studio or TV network and prohibits outlets and organizations that have seen the film / TV show from posting reviews until that specified time. Sometimes studios and TV networks also set embargoes for social media reactions from critics and journalists.
Why don't certain movies or TV shows have Tomatometer scores yet?
Movies and TV shows must have at least five reviews to generate a Tomatometer score.
Why do certain movies only have a few reviews?
There are a variety of reasons why a film or TV show may not have many reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The simplest explanation is there may not be many reviews from Tomatometer-approved critics available for that specific film or TV show in question. Other reasons include:
- Some available reviews haven't been collected or added yet.
- A film or TV show is from an era when film criticism was not as robust as it is now.
- A film or TV show review appeared in a print publication and may not have been published or made available online.
Why is one review with a 2.5 marked Fresh while another review marked 2.5 is marked Rotten? Likewise, why is one review with a 3/5 marked Fresh while another is marked Rotten? Shouldn't they always be Fresh or always be Rotten?
Sometimes a reviewer will give a rating that is in the middle, so a decision has to be made: is it Fresh or is it Rotten? When those reviews have been added to RT by a self-submitting critic or publication, we defer to their judgement. When our review curation team comes across a mixed review, we have a process in place to determine whether it is mixed-positive or mixed-negative. When two reviews that have the same individual rating are alternately marked Fresh and Rotten, it means that for one of those reviews, the critic felt mixed-positive, and for the other, the critic felt mixed-negative. Learn more about our curation process.
Who writes these reviews? Will you post mine?
Tomatometer-approved critics come from all across the U.S., and the world. They publish on a variety of platforms – among them you'll find podcasters, newspaper and magazine writers, bloggers, and YouTubers. Their reviews embody several key values – insight and dedication among them – and meet a set of Eligibility Guidelines. See our list of Tomatometer-approved critics.
Where is the Average rating now on the site?
The average rating can be viewed by clicking on the "More Info" tab in the Tomatometer module on movie pages.
What is the Average Rating? How is it calculated?
The Average Rating is an average of the individual critic scores, based on a 1-10 scale. Each critic's original rating scale (e.g. star, letter grade, numeric) is converted to a number between 1 and 10, and then the numbers are averaged. Reviews without individual ratings are not counted in the Average Rating calculation, and a minimum of five reviews with individual ratings is required for an Average Rating to be calculated. The Average Rating measures the overall quality of a film or TV show based on an average of individual critic scores. The Tomatometer simply measures the percentage of positive reviews for a given film or TV show.
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CRITICS
Does Rotten Tomatoes employ critics?
No, Rotten Tomatoes does not employ critics.
What is a review aggregator?
A review aggregator is a website that collects reviews of products and services. Rotten Tomatoes collects film and TV reviews from critics who publish at outlets worldwide. These reviews are rated either Fresh or Rotten, which contributes to a film or TV show's Tomatometer score. Learn more about the Tomatometer.
What is the difference between a Critic Review, an Audience Review, and a User Rating?
A Critic Review is a review of a film or TV show that has been published by a Tomatometer-approved critic or source. An Audience Review is a review of a film or TV show that has been submitted by a Rotten Tomatoes user. A User Rating is a star rating given by a Rotten Tomatoes user through a star-rating mechanism. For more information on audience reviews and User Ratings.
Who are the approved Tomatometer critics?
Tomatometer-approved critics come from all across the U.S., and the world. They publish on a variety of platforms – among them you'll find podcasters, newspaper and magazine writers, bloggers, and YouTubers. Their reviews embody several key values – insight and dedication among them – and meet a set of Eligibility Guidelines. See our list of Tomatometer-approved critics.
How can I become a Tomatometer-approved critic?
To become Tomatometer-approved, critics need to meet the eligibility guidelines and key values outlined in our Critics Criteria.
How does someone become a Top Critic?
Unlike critics who can apply to be Tomatometer approved, Top Critic status is granted by a set of criteria and a selection panel that includes the Rotten Tomatoes critic relations and curation teams, and a newly formed advisory board of critics and industry professionals. It cannot be applied for.
How do you identify who will receive Top Critic status?
We have an internal team at Rotten Tomatoes who continuously monitors and proactively identifies critics who qualify for Top Critic status.
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AUDIENCE REVIEWS
What is the difference between the audience review and User Rating?
An audience review is a text review of a film or TV show that has been submitted by a Rotten Tomatoes user. A User Rating is a user's star rating on a film or TV show, without a text review.
How do I leave a review?
If you are logged in, you can go to any movie or TV show's page to rate and/or review it using the star-rating system and text box directly under the Tomatometer. You can see your ratings by clicking on Profile in the drop-down menu at the top right of the page.
What is the minimum length of an Audience Review?
We require reviews to be a minimum of 20 characters in length.
When do I get to submit my audience review?
After confirming your email address, you can write a review when logged in to the site through a Rotten Tomatoes account or Gmail log-in.
When you are logged in, you'll be able to view a movie or TV show's details page and rate and/or review the movie or show using the stars and text box directly under the Tomatometer. For movies, reviews can be left after the film's theatrical release date.
Why is my review not showing up right away?
In an effort to encourage thoughtful discussion and debate, we require reviews to be a minimum of 20 characters in length to be published. Please also keep in mind that reviews may take some time to be published and are subject to our Code of Conduct. If you continue having trouble, contact customer service.
When will we see an Audience Score?
The Audience Score becomes available after the theatrical release date for a film. Only after that will users be able to leave an audience review or rating for that film.
Why can't I leave a review before the movie is released?
Rotten Tomatoes users can only leave audience reviews and User Ratings following a movie's U.S. release date, as listed on our site. Verified Reviews are available for movies in the U.S. that were released after May 23, 2019 – the date we added this feature.
Why do some movies have Audience Scores and user reviews before their release date?
A number of films are shown in special preview screenings or early screening series prior to their official U.S. release date. We allow users to rate and review these movies from the time of their first large-scale screenings.
What is a Verified Review?
A Verified Review is a review written by a user who we can confirm bought a ticket to the movie they're reviewing, which we believe is a strong indicator that they have seen the movie. “Verified” will be displayed next to a review to help users identify which reviews are “Verified.”
How does my review become verified?
When you submit a review on Rotten Tomatoes, you now have the option to select “Verify I bought my ticket” beneath the review text box and select the ticket provider from which you made your purchase. If the email address of your Rotten Tomatoes account matches the email address you used to buy your ticket, we will mark your review as “Verified”.
How do I know if my review has been verified?
If we're able to verify your ticket purchase, you'll see “Verified” next to your review once it's posted to Rotten Tomatoes.
Why is my review not verified?
Currently, if you did not buy your ticket from Fandango, your review cannot be “Verified”. We are planning to work with other ticket providers to help verify Rotten Tomatoes reviews and will add new options for verification in the future. If you purchased a ticket from Fandango and are having issues with your review being verified, please contact customer service.
Do all movies have Verified Reviews?
Verified Reviews are available for movies in the U.S. that were released May 23, 2019 – the date we added this feature.
What movies can have Verified Reviews?
Verified Reviews are possible for movies released in theaters in the United States from May 23, 2019 onward. Currently, movies released before that date and movies not released theatrically, as well as TV and streaming titles, won't have Verified Ratings or Reviews. We are planning to add functionality that will allow us to verify reviews no matter how and where a user saw a movie, TV, or streaming title.
Can I see all user ratings and reviews, even if they weren't verified?
If you're interested in seeing an Audience Score that includes all included ratings, not just those that have been verified, you can click the “more info” link beneath the Audience Score and choose “All Audience”. When reading reviews, choose the “All Audience” tab and all reviews are displayed with the newest one showing first. Verified Reviews will be displayed with a “Verified” icon to show we've confirmed that the reviewer has purchased a ticket to that movie.
Is a Verified Review different from Super Reviewer?
Yes. “Verified” simply means that we can confirm that the user writing the review purchased a ticket to the movie being reviewed. Super Reviewers are users who've demonstrated consistent insight and whose reviews we feature prominently on movie pages.
Can reviews from outside of the United States be verified?
Currently, we are only able to verify reviews for movies from reviewers who purchased tickets in the United States. We are working on ways we may be able to offer this feature for other reviewers outside of the United States in the future.
Why aren't there Verified Reviews on television pages and all movie pages?
Verified Reviews are available for movies that were released in the United States May 23, 2019 – the date we added this feature. We're planning to add other ticket and content providers in the future to help us verify reviews for more movies and TV/streaming.
Will you be adding more ways to verify reviews?
We are actively working on adding more ticket providers to help us confirm ticket purchases, as well as functionality that will allow us to verify reviews no matter how and where the user saw a movie.
Can I verify my reviews for Netflix and other streaming services?
Not currently, but we are always looking to improve the usefulness of our Audience rating system for fans and are working on ways we may be able to do this in future.
I purchased a physical ticket to a movie; how do I verify my review?
Currently, we cannot verify physical ticket purchases. However, we're currently considering ways we could do so in the future.
Someone purchased a ticket for me, how do I verify my review?
At this time, we can only verify one review and rating per transaction. So, if someone buys more than one ticket – say for a bunch for friends – each person can leave a review, but only the person with the email address used for the purchase will have their review verified.
Which companies are included in verifying tickets? Will there be more added in the future?
Currently, users can verify their reviews through Fandango. We are currently working to bring on additional ticket providers to help us verify reviews and ratings.
If my review is verified why isn't it included in the Tomatometer?
The Tomatometer is generated by the reviews of Tomatometer-approved professional critics who meet a set of criteria. These are professional, working movie and TV critics. Verified Reviews and ratings are made up of users who we can confirm purchased a ticket to the movie they're reviewing.
I have a Rotten Tomatoes account, why is my review not verified?
Reviews and ratings are verified when we can confirm the user bought a ticket to the movie.
I did buy a ticket on Fandango, but my review is not verified: why?
The review might not be verified for a couple reasons. First, if the email address for your Rotten Tomatoes account does not match your Fandango account email, we will not be able to confirm your ticket purchase and verify your review. Second, verifiable reviews may not be possible for the title you are reviewing (e.g. if it is an older movie, a streaming or TV title).
My ticket purchase was confirmed, but my Verified Review is not showing up on the site. Why can't I see my review?
In an effort to encourage thoughtful discussion and debate, we require reviews to be a minimum of 20 characters in length to be published. Please also keep in mind that reviews may take some time to be published and are subject to our Code of Conduct . If you continue having trouble, customer service.
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CERTIFIED FRESH
What is the difference between a wide-release Certified Fresh and Limited Release Certified Fresh?
Because films in limited release open in far fewer theaters than films in wide release, the threshold to achieve Certified Fresh status is lower. For more information on what qualifies a film for Certified Fresh status, click here.
Why aren't all movies marked Certified Fresh with 80 reviews at 80%?
The prerequisites for Certified Fresh status are only the bare minimum that a film must achieve to qualify for the distinction. A film does not automatically become Certified Fresh when it meets those prerequisites. Before we mark a film Certified Fresh, we must feel confident that the Tomatometer score has settled and isn't likely to deviate too much.
Why does it take longer for some movies to go Certified Fresh?
If the film in question is a wide release, you may find your answer above. If the film in question is a limited release, it may be because its Tomatometer score is right on the cusp of the bare minimum 75%, and the addition of more reviews could change the score in either direction. Another instance is a film is scheduled to expand from a limited to a wide release, in which case we would apply the Certified Fresh prerequisites for wide-release films to it and wait for the expansion to assess whether it qualifies.
How does a movie or TV show qualify for Certified Fresh status?
For information on Certified Fresh status, click here.
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CURATION
What is the curation process?
Curation is the process of adding reviews to our system. The majority of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are added by a team of curators who check our Tomatometer-approved sources on a daily basis for new review articles, videos, and podcasts. Every review is analyzed thoroughly so the curator can determine if it should be marked as Fresh or Rotten. Next, the curator looks for a pull-quote that summarizes the review and best demonstrates its positive or negative opinion. Lastly, they include the original rating given by the critic, when available. Other reviews -- the ones that don't go through our curation process -- are added by the critics or outlets that published them, and they decide their own quotes and Fresh/Rotten designations.
How are reviews submitted?
Reviews are added in two ways: either through curation or by self-submitting Tomatometer- approved critics, who add their reviews themselves. Only reviews from approved critics and sources are included on the Tomatometer.
What is the difference between a self-submitted review and a curated review?
The majority of Tomatometer-approved reviews are collected by our curation team, who also mark a review Fresh or Rotten and select a representative pull-quote. Self-submitters are critics who add their own reviews, determine Fresh/Rotten status themselves, and select corresponding pull-quotes.
Individually approved critics can choose to be self-submitters or have our curation team collect reviews on their behalf, while approved publications have the option to nominate one critic/editor to submit reviews for their entire roster.
Do you ever reach out to a reviewer to get clarification on a review?
Yes. If the curation team is unable to reach a consensus on a review, we reach out to the reviewer and ask them to make the call.
How do you determine whether a review with no star rating is Fresh or Rotten?
When a review does not have a star rating or letter grade, the RT curator adding the review will assess whether it is Fresh or Rotten. If the curator is unable to do so, they will consult the curation team for independent analysis and attempt to come to a consensus. If the team is unable to reach a consensus on the review, they will reach out directly to the critic for the final word.
How do I submit a movie title to Rotten Tomatoes?
Before submitting a movie title to us, please do the following:
- Make sure we don't already have the title in our database by searching for it in the search field at the top of our site.
- If you cannot find the title you're looking for, submit a data request to us with the following: a link where information about the movie is listed, or provide basic details including the title, release year, and name of the director(s). Please note that page creation is at the discretion of Rotten Tomatoes' staff and may depend on additional criteria, as well as team resources. Not all requests may be fulfilled.
Your movie/actor information is wrong!
Thanks for catching that. We work hard to make sure all of our movie and actor information is correct, but sometimes this is not the case, due to studio changes, data import errors, etc. We also list wide release dates, which may look wrong to users who live in areas with previews and limited release showings.
If you do find inaccurate data, please tell us here and we will check the data against our sources and contact the publicist or distributor if necessary.
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USER ACCOUNTS
Can I merge my Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes accounts?
No, Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes accounts cannot be merged.
Why can't I login via Facebook?
Facebook login is no longer supported on Rotten Tomatoes. If you previously used Facebook to login on the Rotten Tomatoes website and you have two login options:
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Option 1: Use the email address associated with your Facebook account to create a Rotten Tomatoes profile, and we will transfer your account history.
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Option 2: If your Facebook account is a Gmail address, you can also use the Gmail login feature to create a Rotten Tomatoes profile, and we will transfer your account history.
Why can't I change my account username?
If you are logged in through Rotten Tomatoes, you can change your account username by scrolling over your name in the top right corner of any RT page and clicking the “Account” link. That will take you to the Account Settings page, where you will see the option to change your Profile Display Name.
Why can't I change my account profile image?
Currently, if you are logged in to a Rotten Tomatoes account using your email, there is no way to change your profile image.
Why can't I delete my account?
We are experiencing issues with that page, and we are working to resolve it. In the meantime, our team can manually delete your account if you send a request through this form and we are able to verify that you have access to the email address associated with the account in question.
Why do I need to confirm my account?
We ask our users confirm their accounts as a security precaution and to maintain the authenticity of the Audience Score.
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How do I cancel a profile and remove my account?
If you want to cancel a Rotten Tomatoes account, please tell us here.
I have a question regarding my Flixster Video Ultraviolet account.
Flixster video is no longer in service and neither is UltraViolet.
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