Rotten Tomatoes and the Tomatometer score are the world’s most trusted recommendation
resources for quality entertainment. As the leading online aggregator of movie and
TV show reviews from critics, we provide fans with a comprehensive guide to what’s
Fresh – and what’s Rotten – in theaters and at home. And the Tomatometer is just the
beginning. We also serve movie and TV fans with original editorial content on our site
and through social channels, produce fun and informative video series, and hold live
events for fans across the country, with our ‘Your Opinion Sucks’ live shows. If you’re
an entertainment fan looking for a recommendation, or to share an opinion, you’ve
come to the right place.
What is the Tomatometer®?
The Tomatometer score – based on the opinions of hundreds of film and
television critics – is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation
for millions of fans.
Back in the days of the open theaters, when a play was particularly atrocious,
the audience expressed their dissatisfaction by not only booing and hissing at
the stage, but also throwing whatever was at hand – vegetables and fruits included.
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.
Fresh red tomato
When at least 60% of reviews for a movie or TV show are positive, a red tomato is displayed to
indicate its Fresh status.
Green splat tomato
When less than 60% of reviews for a movie or TV show are positive, a green splat
is displayed to indicate its Rotten status.
Faded tomato
When there is no Tomatometer® score available, which could be because the Title hasn’t released
yet or there are not enough ratings to generate a score.
What is Certified Fresh?
Tomato with banners reads “Certified Fresh”
Certified Fresh status is a special distinction awarded to the best-reviewed
movies and TV shows. In order to qualify, movies or TV shows must meet the
following requirements:
- A consistent Tomatometer score of 75% or higher.
- At least five reviews from Top Critics.
- Films in wide release must have a minimum of 80 reviews. This also applies for films going from limited to wide release.
- Films in limited release must have a minimum of 40 reviews.
- Only individual seasons of a TV show are eligible, and each must have a minimum of 20 reviews.
The above requirements for Certified Fresh status are only the bare minimum a film
must achieve to qualify for the distinction. A film does not automatically become
Certified Fresh when it meets those requirements. The Tomatometer score must be consistent
and unlikely to deviate significantly before a film or TV show is marked Certified Fresh.
A Certified Fresh movie or TV season whose score drops and remains consistently below 70%
will lose the Certified Fresh designation. The certification removal might not happen as soon
as the score drops below 70%; as with CF designation, removal will take place when the score settles.
A movie or TV season that loses Certified Fresh status can regain it by reaching a consistent score
of 75% or more and meeting the other minimum requirements.
Curation
Rotten Tomatoes has assembled a team of curators whose job it is to read thousands of
movie and TV reviews weekly. The team collects movie and TV reviews from
Tomatometer-approved critics and publications every day, generating Tomatometer scores.
Our curators carefully read these reviews, noting if the reviews are Fresh or Rotten,
and choose a representative pull-quote. Tomatometer-approved critics can also
self-submit their reviews.
What is the Audience Score?
The Audience Score, denoted by a popcorn bucket, represents the percentage of users who have
rated a movie or TV show positively. With films for which we can verify users have bought a ticket,
the default Audience Score we show is made up of “Verified Ratings,” which represents the percentage
of users who have rated a movie or TV show positively who we can verify bought a ticket; it is displayed
once enough of those Verified Ratings are in to form a score. For all other titles, we display an “All
Audience Score” that includes ratings from people regardless of whether or not we can currently verify they
have seen the movie or show. Titles eligible for Verified Ratings have an All Audience Score, too: To see it,
just click on the popcorn bucket and you can toggle between both the Verified Audience Score and the All Audience
Score. You can read more about recent changes to the score
box HERE.
Full popcorn bucket
When at least 60% of users give a movie or TV show a star rating of 3.5 or higher,
a full popcorn bucket is displayed to indicate its Fresh status.
Spilled popcorn bucket
When less than 60% of users give a movie or TV show a star rating of 3.5 or higher,
a tipped over popcorn bucket is displayed to indicate its Rotten status.
Faded popcorn bucket
When there is no Audience Score available, which could be because the Title hasn’t released yet or
there are not enough ratings to generate a score.
Checkmark icon
When you see this next to a review it means we’ve confirmed the user
bought a ticket to the movie.
Learn More
We’re all about debate and discussion at Rotten Tomatoes, and want to know what our fans
think. For our community code of conduct, click here.
