Search results
Answer: through an investigative report, New York Magazine found that it was very easy to manipulate critic score compared to audience score. The most notable offender of this was a site called "Bunker 15", which was a paid aggrevation site to increase ratings after a film has been certified rotten by critics.
- A PR firm paid critics to goose reviews of 2018 Daisy Ridley drama Ophelia.
- The Economy of Rotten Tomatoes
By Alex Stedman
Updated: Sep 7, 2023 6:54 pm
Posted: Sep 6, 2023 10:02 pm
While film and television reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has come under scrutiny by filmmakers like Martin Scorsese before, a new report doubles down on why consumers may want to think twice before taking a recommendation from the website.
In an in-depth report published earlier today, Vulture uncovered a scheme from a PR firm called Bunker 15 to goose reviews for 2018 Daisy Ridley drama Ophelia. After initial reviews came in, resulting in a disappointing 46% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (a movie is deemed “rotten” if falling short of a 60% rating), Vulture reports that Bunker 15 started paying lower-level critics on the website to post positive reviews for $50 a pop, essentially trying to manipulate the system. The firm also lobbied one critic to change their negative review to positive.
As it turns out, the scheme worked and the money followed: Ophelia jumped up to a 62% rating, scoring that coveted “fresh” label, and the next month, IFC Films announced it acquired the film for distribution.
As the Vulture report notes, Rotten Tomatoes has become incredibly influential, both within the business of Hollywood and from the consumers’ perspective. When it comes to the former, the example of Ophelia is a fitting one; when films debut at festivals like Sundance, as Ophelia did, companies monitor their reception to evaluate whether or not they should acquire those movies for distribution. Whether they’re prioritizing commercial appeal or potential awards glory, how critics and other viewers respond out of those initial screenings isn’t without importance.
And as for consumers, that’s a little more obvious. For some, a Rotten Tomatoes score could make or break a decision to head out to the movie theaters or pay for a rental. While a “fresh” or “rotten” score isn’t everything, many look to the percentage to get a quick idea of how they should spend their money.
"Rotten Tomatoes is something the studios can game. So they do.
“
To be clear, Rotten Tomatoes and other critic aggregators like Metacritic aren’t to blame for the reviews themselves. But a “fresh” or “rotten” label can be an important one for a film, meaning it’s easy to see why this sort of thing could happen. What this new report sheds light on is how unfortunately easily the system can be manipulated.
Filmmaker Paul Schrader puts it a little more bluntly later in the Vulture report: “The studios didn’t invent Rotten Tomatoes, and most of them don’t like it. But the system is broken. Audiences are dumber. Normal people don’t go through reviews like they used to. Rotten Tomatoes is something the studios can game. So they do.”
Sep 6, 2023 · As noted via Vulture, it looks like a PR firm has manipulated movie scores on Rotten Tomatoes by paying the critics directly. This has been happening for years.
- Jacob Dressler
Sep 7, 2023 · Bunker 15, a film PR company, has been accused of attempting to boost the Rotten Tomatoes score of the movie Ophelia. Rotten Tomatoes noticed the manipulation and removed the suspicious reviews, sending a strong warning to the reviewers involved.
- Senior Reporter
While Rotten Tomatoes is a go-to source for determining whether a movie or series is worth checking out, the ratings and reviews site has come into question once more in light of a new report...
- Daisy Phillipson
- Senior TV & Movies Writer
Sep 7, 2023 · A new report says that a PR firm has been paying Rotten Tomatoes critics for positive reviews for over five years. From a report: Moviegoers, critics, and the average internet user have all used the aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes at one point or another.
People also ask
Did Rotten Tomatoes bribe movie reviewers?
Was Rotten Tomatoes manipulated by a PR firm?
Did a movie PR company bribe Rotten Tomatoes reviewers?
Is a PR firm paying Rotten Tomatoes critics for positive reviews?
Sep 7, 2023 · A new report claims PR company Bunker 15 allegedly manipulated the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, including Ophelia starring Daisy Ridley.
