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HomeExplainersReview scores (Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic)
▸ EXPLAINER

What do Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores mean?

By PixPause Editorial · Updated September 26, 2026 · 5 sources

SHORT ANSWER

They measure different things. Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer is the percentage of approved critics who gave a positive review — not how good they thought it was. Metacritic's Metascore is a weighted average of critics' scores out of 100. CinemaScore is an A+ to F grade from opening-night audiences.

EXPLAIN IT LIKE I'M 5

Rotten Tomatoes asks the class "thumbs up or down?" and counts the thumbs. Metacritic asks everyone for a mark out of 100 and averages them — with the best students' marks counting a bit more.

Four scores, four different questions
Tomatometer% of approved critics whose review is positive. 60%+ = Fresh.
MetascoreWeighted average of critics' scores, 0–100.
CinemaScoreOpening-night audiences grade it A+ to F.
Steam rating% of player reviews that are positive. 40–69% = Mixed.

Why 90% isn't "9 out of 10"

The Tomatometer only counts whether each approved critic's review was positive ("Fresh") or negative ("Rotten"). At 60% or more positive, a film gets the red tomato. A film every critic found merely "fine" can score 100%; a divisive masterpiece can score lower.

Metacritic converts each review to a 0–100 score and takes a weighted average, giving more weight to some publications. It doesn't publish those weights. OpenCritic does something similar for games.

Audience scores

CinemaScore polls audiences leaving opening-night screenings in the US and Canada and reports an A+ to F grade. Opening-night crowds are usually fans, so a C is widely read as bad news. On Steam, a game's label comes from the share of player reviews that are positive — 40–69% positive is "Mixed".

How to use them

Use several signals together: a critic percentage, an average score and an audience grade. And remember what they can't tell you — whether a three-hour indie game is worth full price to you, or whether a launch was buggy on your platform.

▸ THE HYPE VS WHAT WE FOUND

Real claims involving this term, each checked in a PixProof with linked sources.

"Biggest opening weekend in the franchise's history."True — but critics gave it 23% on Rotten Tomatoes and even opening-weekend audiences graded it C+.QUESTION ITScary Movie (2026) PixProof →"A decade of polished trailers."Crimson Desert launched with a 51% "Mixed" Steam rating and review scores from 6 to 9.5 out of 10.QUESTION ITCrimson Desert PixProof →"Souls-like difficulty in a true open world."Holds up: Elden Ring became OpenCritic's highest-rated game of all time.PLAYElden Ring PixProof →

▸ PIXPROOFS THAT USE THIS TERM (9)

▸ COMPANIES BEHIND IT

Pearl AbyssFromSoftware, Inc.CD Projekt RED S.A.Sony Group CorporationWarner Bros. Entertainment Inc.Universal Pictures

HYPE OR REAL?

"Scary Movie (2026)'s record opening weekend shows critics and audiences loved it."

▸ QUICK QUESTIONS

What does a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes mean?
90% of approved critics gave it a positive review. It says nothing about how positive — it's not an average score of 9/10.
Is Metacritic better than Rotten Tomatoes?
Neither is better; they answer different questions. Metacritic shows how much critics liked it on average; Rotten Tomatoes shows how many liked it at all.
What is a good CinemaScore?
A-range grades are good. Because opening-night audiences are usually enthusiastic, a C is widely treated as a poor result.

▸ SOURCES

Spot something wrong? Tell us — corrections are logged, see methodology.

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