Tips and Analysis

Here are tips for interpretation of ratings based on detailed analysis.  We will add details of the analysis shortly.

Tip:  Across all series the average score is around 64% (6.4 on a ten-point scale), except Metacritic critics which average 58%.  Something around this level is thus close to average for our sample of around 9000 films.

Tip:  As a rough guide across the different series, a rating over 60% (or 6.0) is average, over 70% (or 7.0) is very good, and over 80% (or 8.0) is outstanding.  However, there are many over 80% that most people won’t enjoy, and some in the 60% range that many people do.  And high scores are much more common for Rotten Tomatoes critics.

Tip:  Rotten Tomatoes critics’ ratings are calculated as a percentage of positive reviews.  This means that very high scores are quite common for critically well received films, with one in five films scoring 90% or more.  This is not true of other series, so adjust accordingly.

Tip:  The people enter ratings on websites are a self-selecting group – “film fans” – that has tastes quite close to critics, although some differences remain.

Tip:  The wider public has quite different tastes from critics and film fans.  There is only a weak relationship between what these groups and audiences like, as measured by audience research, and almost none at all with box office.

Tip:  Established classics do very well – few want to down vote esteemed films.  Keep this in mind if comparing them with more recent films.

Tip:  Animated films often score very well.  They may still not be for you.

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