I Just Learned How Rotten Tomatoes Scores Really Work, And It's Way More Complicated Than I Thought

I’m not sure why, but for some reason I loathe watching trailers – maybe because I often find them unrepresentative of the film, but (more probably) because they take longer than a quick review skim. 

And while I do have my favourite film critics, I don’t trust them as much as I do Rotten Tomatoes, whose audience scores can differ completely from the critical consensus. 

I’m not alone. A 2023 paper found that reviews from sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb played a “significant role” in how likely people were to hear about, and watch, a film.

But how do movies get their “Certified Fresh” or (gasp) “Rotten” status to begin with?

Here’s how Rotten Tomatoes scores are created

There are two scores on the site: a Tomatometer score, which is made up of professional critics’ opinions, and the Popcornmeter, which comes from non-critic audience members. 

But the Tomatometer doesn’t populate unless a certain review threshold is met. 

“Since we know that the number of reviews for a given title can change dramatically during its theatrical run, the threshold for when a Popcornmeter or Tomatometer score will display is now based on domestic box office projections as provided by an independent outside source,” their site reads. 

For a film festival flick or one with projected domestic box office takings of $60 million or less, it takes 10 professional reviews for a Tomatometer score to show on the site. 

For an estimated $60-120 million movie, you’ll need 20 official reviews to earn a critic’s score on the site; at $120+, it rises to 40 reviews. 

Similar rules go for audience scores, too. 

If a movie’s not expected to make more than $5 million domestically, 50 verified ratings will win it a Popcornmeter score. 

If experts think your movie will make $5-$60 million, you’ll need 100 verified reviews; $60-120 million films require 300 reviews, meanwhile, and anything that’s likely to go over the $120 million mark needs 500 verified audience reviews.

What do green splats, red tomatoes, and grey tomatoes mean in Rotten Tomatoes?

A red tomato on the Tomatometer score means that 1) there are enough professional critic reviews to show on the site, and 2) that over 60% of them are positive. 

A red tomato with “certified fresh” written in a yellow banner around it means that over 75% of critical reviews were positive, and at least five of those positive reviews have come from “top critics”.

A green splat means the title has been deemed “rotten” because less than 60% of professional reviews are positive. 

“If a title has not [been] released yet or there are not enough reviews to generate a Tomatometer score, a grey faded tomato is displayed,“Rotten Tomatoes explained. 

What do red, green, and grey popcorn buckets mean on Rotten Tomatoes?

A red popcorn bucket on the Popcornmeter score means that at least 60% of verified audience members gave the movie a minimum of 3.5 stars. 

A green one, tipped over to its side, means less than 60% have given it a 3.5-star rating. 

As with the tomato score, a grey popcorn bucket means the movie’s not out yet, or the thresholds for reviews haven’t been met. 

Lastly, some verified audience scores will have a green check mark beside them – that means Rotten Tomatoes “can confirm that a user bought a ticket to a movie they’ve reviewed.” 

Who knew so much went into the review site?