Understanding Tomatometer
A snapshot of what critics think—boiled down to fresh or rotten.
Rotten Tomatoes collects movie reviews from professional critics and distills them into a single number: the Tomatometer. If a critic recommends the film, their review is marked “fresh.” If not, it’s marked “rotten.” The Tomatometer shows the percentage of critics who gave it a fresh review.
How Does It Work?
If 100 critics review a film and 75 say it’s worth seeing, the Tomatometer reads 75%
That doesn’t mean it’s a 7.5/10—just that 75% of critics gave it a thumbs up.
What Does the Score Mean?
- 60% or higher = Fresh
- Below 60% = Rotten
- 75%+ with enough reviews = Certified Fresh
Why Does It Matter?
Rotten Tomatoes gives you a quick sense of how many critics liked a movie. It’s useful if you care about what seasoned film reviewers thought—especially if you’re deciding whether something is worth your time.
But keep this in mind: A high score doesn’t mean critics loved it—just that most thought it was decent.
What It Can’t Tell You
- How much critics actually liked the movie
- How audiences felt (that’s a different score entirely)
- Any nuance between “pretty good” and “a masterpiece”
Notable Scores
Mad Max: Fury Road — 97%
Critics loved it. A rare action film with near-universal praise.
The Matrix Resurrections — 63%
Just fresh. Some critics appreciated the risks; others didn’t.
After Earth — 12%
Widely panned. Most critics found it dull or disappointing.