Rotten Tomatoes, the popular movie review aggregator, has introduced a brand new badge: ‘Verified Hot’. This designation is awarded to theatrical films that have earned an impressive Audience Score of 90% or higher on the site’s Popcornmeter, meeting certain eligibility requirements. In essence, ‘Verified Hot’ signifies that a film has been validated as a crowd-pleaser by moviegoers themselves.
This new badge joins the existing ‘Certified Fresh’ designation, which recognizes movies that have garnered critical acclaim from professional reviewers. Rotten Tomatoes is acknowledging the significant role fan reviews play in movie selection, recognizing that audiences often consult both critic and audience scores when choosing their next cinematic experience. “On Rotten Tomatoes, fans love to consult our verified audience score, in addition to the Tomatometer critics’ score, when discovering new movies and deciding what they want to watch next,” explained Amanda Norvell, senior vice president of Direct-to-Consumer Services at Fandango, the parent company of Rotten Tomatoes. “With the addition of Verified Hot, we are excited to celebrate and shine a spotlight on the theatrical films that fans have unanimously embraced and have taken the time to share their incredible moviegoing experience with other fans.”
The ‘Verified Hot’ badge is already being awarded to several popular summer blockbusters, including ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, ‘Fly Me to the Moon’, ‘It Ends with Us’, and ‘Twisters’. But the recognition isn’t limited to new releases. Rotten Tomatoes is retroactively awarding the ‘Verified Hot’ badge to over 200 films, dating back to May 2019, when the site introduced Verified Audience Ratings and Reviews. This list includes critically acclaimed films like ‘Air’, ‘Dune: Part Two’, ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’, ‘Knives Out’, ‘Parasite’, and ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, making it a valuable resource for discovering hidden gems.
Alongside the introduction of the ‘Verified Hot’ badge, Rotten Tomatoes has also made changes to the visual representation of the Popcornmeter. If 60% or more of the audience rates a film with 3.5 stars or higher, the Popcornmeter will display a full red popcorn bucket with a ‘Hot’ label, indicating a highly rated film. On the other hand, if the audience rating falls below 60%, the Popcornmeter will now show a green-tipped-over popcorn bucket labeled ‘Stale’, signifying a less enthusiastic reception. These visual cues provide a quick and easy way for moviegoers to gauge the audience’s sentiment about a film.
Rotten Tomatoes has also adjusted the rules regarding when Popcornmeter and Tomatometer scores will be displayed for a film. Now, a minimum number of reviews published on the site is required for either score to be visible. This threshold varies based on each film’s projected domestic box office forecast, ensuring that scores are based on a representative number of reviews.
With these updates, Rotten Tomatoes is further emphasizing the value of audience opinions and reviews, giving viewers a more comprehensive picture of a film’s reception. The ‘Verified Hot’ badge adds another layer of information for moviegoers, providing a valuable resource for discovering and enjoying films that resonate with a wide audience.
