IMDB vs RT vs MC

 

 

COMPARISON OF WEBSITE DEDICATED TO MOVIE REVIEWS

This article compares three widely used websites completely dedicated for movie reviews. Rating algorithms, traffic on each website and, criticism of their algorithms have been dealt with.

IMDB

Rating algorithm

IMDB offers a rating scale that allows users to rate films by choosing one of ten categories in the range 1–10, with each user able to submit one rating. The points of reference given to users of these categories are the descriptions "1 (awful)" and "10 (excellent)

The formula for calculating the Top Rated 250 Titles gives a true Bayesian estimate:

Weighted rating (WR) = (v ÷ (v+m)) × R + (m ÷ (v+m)) × C

where:

·         R = average for the movie (mean) = (Rating)

·         v = number of votes for the movie = (votes)

·         m = minimum votes required to be listed in the Top 250 (currently 3000)

·         C = the mean vote across the whole report (currently 6.9)

The IMDb Top 250 is intended to be a listing of the top 'rated' 250 films, based on ratings by the registered users of the website using the methods described.

Criticisms

The validity of the Top 250 has come under scrutiny. Many movies hit the top 250 list in the upper bracket initially but fall down gradually as more user reviews pour in. The Dark Knight sprang up to number one when it was released, but now, it has slipped to 10^th ranking. The same thing happened with WALL E where it garnered 6^th position initially after its release but is currently ranked at 94^th. Other skepticism has revolved around The Godfather. While many of the top films on IMDB have less than 4% of their total votes at "1", The Godfather has maintained a significantly higher percentage, coming in at 6.2% averaged over the last 5 years.

Traffic ( on the basis of number of hits received calculated by Alexa software)

 It is 40^th most visited website on the world wide web.

ROTTEN TOMATOES

Rating Algorithm

Rotten Tomatoes includes online reviews from authors that are certified members of various writing guilds or film critic associations. Certain publications are given higher weights due to their stature. However rottentomatoes never reveal the weights given to each critic. The staff then determine for each review whether it is positive ("fresh", marked by a small icon of a red tomato) or negative ("rotten", marked by a small icon of a green splattered tomato). If the positive reviews make up 60% or more, the film is considered "fresh" in that a supermajority of the reviewers approve of the film. If the positive reviews are less than 60%, then the film is considered "rotten". Like Metacritic, the Tomatometer measures a movie's approval rating based on an average of outside reviews. Unlike, Metacritic, however, Rottentomatoes sticks to either "fresh" or "rotten," instead of calibrating reviews on a 0-to-10 scale like Metacritic. 

Criticism

Since this website does not disclose weights given to each reviewer, it is less transparent compared to IMDB. Moreover, their reviews are more objective rather than subjective, with each review either given a thumbs up or a thumbs down rather than a progressive score. Moreover, the review and hence the ratings are provided by critics and not users, dampens the spirit of democratic voting. Uer ratings are displayed separately from the tomatometer.

Traffic ( on the basis of number of hits received calculated by Alexa software)

It is 825^th most visited website on the world wide web.

METACRITIC

Rating Algorithm

Metacritic is entirely different from IMDB in the mechanism of rating movies. Rather than using user’s voting, they provide ratings based on a group of critics. However, Metacritic’s scores are pretty similar to Rottentmatoes score with one major difference. Unlike, Metacritic, however, Rottentomatoes sticks to either "fresh" or "rotten," instead of calibrating reviews on a 0-to-10 scale like Metacritic. Metacritic's scores ("metascores") are weighted averages—certain publications are given more significance "based on their stature." The ratings of every critic writing for what Metacritic deems "leading publications" are included, but ratings from well-known critics are given extra weight under a formula that the Web site declines to make public. They are then "normalized," a statistical adjustment the company says slightly lowers poor scores and raises solid grades so that contrasts are clearer. For the metascore categories, if the value is between 100 and 81, the movie has universal acclaim (indicated by green); between 80 and 61 indicates generally favorable reviews (also with a green indicator); 60 to 40 reflects mixed reviews (accompanied by a yellow indicator); between 39 and 20 (red) it suggests generally unfavorable consensus; and if the metascore is below 20 (also red), it reflects overwhelming dislike. 

Criticism

The site is less transparent in terms that it does not reveal weights given to each critic. Moreover, the review and hence the ratings are provided by critics and not users, dampens the spirit of democratic voting. Moreover the number of critics reviewing at metacritic is lesser than those at rottentomatoes, which might not provide a global review. Moreover, their database is not exhaustive and does not encompass all movies.

Traffic ( on the basis of number of hits received calculated by Alexa software)

It is 2847^th most visited website on the world wide web.