Manipulated Rotten Tomatoes scores are making headlines after movie public relations company, Bunker 15 has been accused of paying off critics to tamper with reviews. According to a recent article by Vulture, Bunker 15 deliberately manipulated the Rotten Tomatoes score for a particular 2018 movie.
It has been claimed that just because the “Tomatometer” says a title is “rotten” if it scores below 60 percent, it doesn’t need to stay that way. Apparently, while most movie PR companies aim to get critical reviews from top publications, Bunker 15 recruited obscure and often self-published critics who are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes.
Ophelia‘s Rotten Tomatoes Score Was Deliberately Manipulated
In the world of entertainment, reviews, and ratings are considered extremely important for movies and TV shows, to create an impact on their audience. However, irrespective of desperation, ratings and scores were never meant to be manipulated from within. Nonetheless, in today’s corrupted world, tipping off critics to earn a good rating doesn’t seem to shock anyone.
According to recent reports, it has been claimed that a movie PR company by the name of Bunker 15, has been manipulating Rotten Tomatoes scores, in order to remain worthy in the world of entertainment. As per Vulture, Bunker 15 has been accused of deliberately manipulating the score for the 2018 movie Ophelia.
The 2018 movie’s reviews, which is a Hamlet retelling starring Daisy Ridley, was internally rigged by Bunker 15. It has been reported that the PR company, instead of relying on the reviews of renowned publications and critics, was more focused on tipping off Rotten Tomatoes critics to earn a positive score on the Tomatometer.
Bunker 15 Used Self-Published Critics To Increase RT Score
A recent article by Vulture openly accused Bunker 15 of allegedly contacting several self-published critics, to tamper with the Rotten Tomatoes score for Ophelia. Apparently, the 2018 movie initially received a 46% RT rating (based on 13 reviews). And certainly, scoring below 60 percent can turn the movie rotten.
Thus, in an attempt to increase the score, Bunker 15 secretly recruited obscure, often self-published critics who were a part of the pool tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. And thereafter, the movie received a 62% fresh RT score. Turning the situation even worse, several critics stated that Bunker 15 diverted from standard practice to pay them $50 or more for each review.
“The studios didn’t invent Rotten Tomatoes, and most of them don’t like it. But the system is broken. Audiences are dumber. Normal people don’t go through reviews like they used to. Rotten Tomatoes is something the studios can game. So they do.” filmmaker Paul Schrader shared.
Therefore, in the end, although the Tomatometer is one of the most important metrics in entertainment, it is erratic, reductive, and easily manipulated. This, despite desperation and trials from Bunker 15, the RT score on Ophelia did not save the movie from the audience’s authentic review and criticism, whatsoever.
Source: Vulture
