The Town with Matthew Belloni Is the Rotten Tomatoes Formula Fresh or Rotten?
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Sep 17, 2025 Jacqueline Coley, the Awards Editor at Rotten Tomatoes, joins to explain how the Tomatometer works. She breaks down the reasoning behind Rotten Tomatoes' binary grading system and discusses the rise in scores over the past decade. Jacqueline touches on the impact of modern film criticism and whether the scoring system favors certain movies. The conversation also delves into the challenges of maintaining integrity amidst industry pressures, giving listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the world of movie ratings.
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Host's Critique Of Rotten Tomatoes
- Matt Belloni argues Rotten Tomatoes has become dominant and controversial because it flattens nuance into a binary metric.
- He claims expanded critic pools and awards-focused voices have inflated Tomatometer scores over the last decade.
How The Tomato Meter Works
- Rotten Tomatoes aggregates about 3,000 critics into a Tomato Meter that reflects recommendation percentages rather than averaged scores.
- Films above 60% are Fresh and above 75% (with extra rules) can be Certified Fresh, below 60% are Rotten.
Use Filters To Match Your Taste
- Rotten Tomatoes links to every individual review so users can read full reviews beyond the aggregate score.
- Use the critics' consensus, top critics filter, or verified audience scores to match the kind of guidance you want.
