Rotten Tomatoes has become a leading arbiter for our viewing habits. The site, which distils hundreds of reviews to give movies and shows “fresh” or “rotten” ratings, is often the first port of call for tentative film-goers and binge-watchers. At the same time, the sway it has over the populace has turned it into the scourge of Hollywood film studios, which have previously laid the blame for their flops at its doorstep.
Now, a report is casting doubt over the validity of its influential ratings. In a scathing article, pop culture site Vulture says that PR firms are paying lesser known critics in order to “game” Rotten Tomatoes scores. Rotten Tomatoes has since removed the film at the centre of the expose – Daisy Ridley’s Ophelia – from its site.
