Laxmi Rajput
James Gunn described Ezra Miller’s solo DC feature The Flash as one of the best comic book films of all time. As the movie neared its release, followed by several delays and a controversial year for its leading star, fans had huge expectations from it based on the filmmaker and the new DC head’s statement. Things only seemed better following the initial rating and reviews of the movie on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, where critics generally praised the movie.
However, the critic score, which was initially 72%, along with its audience score, started going down following its release. As a new report from Vulture alleged that a PR company has been paying critics for positive reviews on the review aggregator, fans have now started raising questions about The Flash’s score.
James Gunn’s The Flash in Rotten Tomatoes Scores Controversy
A recent report from Vultur has revealed how a PR company, Bunker 15, allegedly manipulated the ratings of the 2018 film Ophelia. It claims that the critics were paid $50 or more for each review and they often approached self-published critics. The movie initially had a rotten status with a 46% critic score, which later rose to a fresh status with a 62% rating.
The report also states that the review aggregator allows its users to rate movies alongside critics. However, following its deal with Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes changed how it calculated the audience score. The new method required the audience to verify that they had actually bought the tickets and were allowed to leave a review on the website.
Under the same conditions, James Gunn’s The Flash, which had been hyped to reset the DCU, also received a 95% audience score as of 6/14/23, presumably based on pre-release fan screenings. However, as the movie officially hit theatres, the audience score plummeted to 86% within two days of its release and has since dropped to 83%.
The report claims that the initial higher rate could be the result of “diehard” fans who might have given a high rating to the movie. However, it has now led many to question if the Ezra Miller starrer even deserves to have the 63% rating it currently holds, as they claimed that The Flash should not even have a “fresh” status on the review aggregator.
Netizens Question The Flash Ratings on Rotten Tomatoes
Following several controversies, The Flash soon became one of the highly anticipated movies for DC fans, as it was set to reset the DCU as James Gunn intended. The movie reportedly debuted with a 72% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. While it is common for the ratings to go down after release, The Flash saw a drastic fall and holds a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
I always said, “The math ain’t mathin’.” I bet there are some big movies involved, not just small ones. pic.twitter.com/NCWAiASOQE
— Sorrymissjackson702 (@Sorrymissjacks7) September 6, 2023
Watching The Flash since it went really cheap on iTunes. The baby scene is super cringe-y. And about an hour in and I’m wondering how it managed a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes.
— Heather (@heatherdino09) August 30, 2023
Watched “The Flash” movie last night.
I understand why it bombed. Just horrible. #TheFlashMovie
These Rotten Tomatoes scores are way off. pic.twitter.com/IO2AyTAnHf
— Love & Money (@LoveAndMoney15) September 4, 2023
Rotten Tomatoes gave high scores to the Flash movie up until the time it came out. That was strange.. I, however, got really baked and liked the show. Maybe there’s a moral in there somewhere…
— Lafayette Lindsey (@Linds1Lindsey) September 7, 2023
I always said, “The math ain’t mathin’.” I bet there are some big movies involved, not just small ones. pic.twitter.com/NCWAiASOQE
— Sorrymissjackson702 (@Sorrymissjacks7) September 6, 2023
IMO it was awful. Could barely get through the first 30 minutes. CGI is pathetic. Looked like the Polar Express for 20 years ago. The middle section was ok, thanks to the surprise cameo. Ending was mayhem and not in a good way.
— Gus Green (@GusGreen18) September 6, 2023
I’m afraid no amount of money will make that good
— H. C. Smith (@Mundi_Eversor) September 7, 2023
An odd example, seeing how this particular movie has such high critic and audience scores relative to its low quality.
I always thought the latter might be easier to manipulate via botting and similar methods, but curiously somebodyh has found a way to get to the critics too.— Saor (@Saor17614198) September 7, 2023
After Vulture’s reports revealed that PR companies have been allegedly manipulating the ratings of the movies on the review aggregator, fans have raised questions about the 2023 film, stating that its “Rotten Tomatoes scores are way off.” Users also shared that both critic and audience scores for the movie are very high based on its quality, as they claimed that the same techniques could have been used on some big movies as well.
The Flash is streaming on Max.
Source: Vulture
