History of Rotten Tomatoes in Timeline
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television, launched in August 1998 by University of California, Berkeley students Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang. Its name, referencing the historical practice of throwing rotten tomatoes at poor stage performances, was directly inspired by a scene in the 1992 film Léolo. The site compiles reviews from various critics and calculates a percentage score, representing the proportion of positive reviews for a film or show, influencing audience perception and critical reception.
1992: Inspiration from the movie Léolo
In 1992, the Canadian film Léolo was released, and a particular scene inspired Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang to name their website Rotten Tomatoes after the practice of audiences throwing rotten tomatoes in disapproval of a poor stage performance.
August 12, 1998: Rotten Tomatoes Launched
On August 12, 1998, Senh Duong launched Rotten Tomatoes as a side project to provide access to various film reviews. Inspired by Jackie Chan's Hong Kong action movies, particularly with the upcoming release of Rush Hour (1998).
August 1998: Rotten Tomatoes launched
In August 1998, Rotten Tomatoes was launched by Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang, inspired by a scene from the 1992 film Léolo, and the desire to consolidate US film reviews. The site quickly gained traction, attracting 600-1,000 daily visitors within its first week.
September 1998: Delay of "Rush Hour" release
In September 1998, the release of Rush Hour, which was the catalyst for the creation of Rotten Tomatoes, was delayed.
April 1, 2000: Official Launch of Rotten Tomatoes
On April 1, 2000, Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang officially launched Rotten Tomatoes on a full-time basis after teaming up, under Design Reactor.
2000: RT Awards Announced
In 2000, Rotten Tomatoes announced the RT Awards, later renamed the Golden Tomato Awards, to honor the best-reviewed films of the year based on the website's rating system.
2003: Introduction of Average Score
In 2003, Rotten Tomatoes introduced an average score on a 0 to 10 scale.
June 2004: IGN Entertainment Acquires Rotten Tomatoes
In June 2004, IGN Entertainment acquired Rotten Tomatoes for an undisclosed sum.
2007: Matt Atchity becomes editor-in-chief
In 2007, Matt Atchity became the editor-in-chief of Rotten Tomatoes.
2009: User Groups on Rotten Tomatoes
By late 2009, Rotten Tomatoes allowed users to create and join groups for film discussions. One group, "The Golden Oyster Awards," spoofed the Academy Awards. These groups were later disbanded after Flixster's acquisition.
2009: Launch of 'The Rotten Tomatoes Show'
In 2009, Current Television launched The Rotten Tomatoes Show, a televised version of the web review site, hosted by Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox.
January 2010: Rotten Tomatoes criticized by Armond White
In January 2010, Armond White, chairman of the New York Film Critics Circle, criticized Rotten Tomatoes and other film review aggregators for enabling the internet to undermine individual expression, arguing that these sites replace genuine assessment with consensus by assigning percentage scores to reviews.
January 2010: IGN Sells Rotten Tomatoes to Flixster
In January 2010, IGN sold Rotten Tomatoes to Flixster. The combined reach of both companies was reported to be 30 million unique visitors a month.
January 2010: Rotten Tomatoes Acquired by Flixster
In January 2010, Rotten Tomatoes was acquired by Flixster.
September 16, 2010: Cancellation of 'The Rotten Tomatoes Show'
On September 16, 2010, The Rotten Tomatoes Show, which was a televised version of the Rotten Tomatoes website, aired its final episode.
February 2011: Changes to community features
In February 2011, Rotten Tomatoes implemented new community features while removing others, such as the ability to sort films by Fresh Ratings from Rotten Ratings and vice versa.
2011: 'The Rotten Tomatoes Show' as a segment of InfoMania ends
In 2011, The Rotten Tomatoes Show returned as a shorter segment of InfoMania, a satirical news show, which ended in 2011.
2011: Warner Bros. acquires Flixster
In 2011, Warner Bros. acquired Flixster, which had previously acquired Rotten Tomatoes.
2011: Warner Bros. Acquires Rotten Tomatoes
In 2011, Warner Bros. acquired Rotten Tomatoes.
September 17, 2013: Launch of TV Zone
On September 17, 2013, Rotten Tomatoes created TV Zone, a section devoted to scripted television series, as a subsection of the website.
2015: 20th Century Fox Study on Rotten Tomatoes
In 2015, 20th Century Fox commissioned a study titled "Rotten Tomatoes and Box Office" which stated that Rotten Tomatoes and social media would be a serious complication for the film business, especially with Millennials and Gen X-ers vetting purchases through the internet. Other studies found that low Rotten Tomatoes scores made 7/10 people less interested in seeing a film and the site has the most influence on people 25 and younger.
2015: Meryl Streep criticizes Rotten Tomatoes for gender bias
In 2015, while promoting the film Suffragette, Meryl Streep criticized Rotten Tomatoes for disproportionately representing the opinions of male film critics, arguing that this skewed ratio adversely affected the commercial performance of female-driven films. She suggested men and women have different tastes, and the Tomatometer's bias affects box office results.
February 2016: Rotten Tomatoes Sold to Fandango
In February 2016, Rotten Tomatoes and its parent site Flixster were sold to Fandango Media, a subsidiary of Versant (then NBCUniversal). Warner Bros. retained a minority stake.
December 2016: Fandango Relocates to Beverly Hills
In December 2016, Fandango and all its various websites, including Rotten Tomatoes, moved to Fox Interactive Media's former headquarters in Beverly Hills, California.
July 2017: Matt Atchity Leaves Rotten Tomatoes
In July 2017, Matt Atchity, the editor-in-chief of Rotten Tomatoes since 2007, left to join The Young Turks YouTube channel.
July 2017: Sony Embargoes 'The Emoji Movie' Reviews
In July 2017, Sony embargoed critic reviews for The Emoji Movie until mid-day the Thursday before its release, receiving a 9% rating, but opened to $24 million. Conversely, Warner Bros. did not do critic pre-screenings for The House, which opened low.
November 1, 2017: Launch of See It/Skip It on Facebook
On November 1, 2017, Rotten Tomatoes launched See It/Skip It, a new web series on Facebook, hosted by Jacqueline Coley and Segun Oduolowu.
2017: Rotten Tomatoes as a Threat to Hollywood Marketing
In 2017, major Hollywood studios began viewing Rotten Tomatoes as a potential threat to their marketing, as some films with low scores underperformed at the box office, while films with high scores exceeded expectations.
March 2018: Rotten Tomatoes Announces Redesign
In March 2018, Rotten Tomatoes announced its new design, icons, and logo at South by Southwest, marking the first design update in 19 years.
2018: Influence and Criticism of Rotten Tomatoes
According to a 2018 survey, nearly a third of US adult moviegoers consulted Rotten Tomatoes before going to the cinema. The site has faced criticism for oversimplifying reviews and potential studio manipulation.
2018: Ophelia used as example of score manipulation
In September 2023, a Vulture article cited publicity company Bunker 15 as an example of how Rotten Tomatoes scores can be boosted by recruiting obscure, often self-published reviewers, using 2018's Ophelia as an example.
February 26, 2019: Rotten Tomatoes changes user review policy
On February 26, 2019, Rotten Tomatoes announced that it would no longer accept user reviews until a film's public release due to coordinated review "bombing" incidents, specifically mentioning Captain Marvel and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The site also announced plans to introduce a "verified" review system and display the "Want to See" statistic as a number to avoid confusion with the audience score.
May 2019: Launch of Rotten Tomatoes verified audience ratings
In May 2019, Rotten Tomatoes launched verified audience ratings.
May 24, 2019: Introduction of Verified Rating System
On May 24, 2019, Rotten Tomatoes introduced a verified rating system, requiring users to verify their ticket purchase through Fandango Media to have their ratings count toward the average audience score.
May 19, 2020: Rotten Tomatoes Wins Webby Award
On May 19, 2020, Rotten Tomatoes won the 2020 Webby People's Voice Award for Entertainment in the Web category.
February 2021: Addition of "Audience Says" Section
In February 2021, Rotten Tomatoes added an "Audience Says" section that summarizes registered user reviews into a concise blurb, similar to the "Critics Consensus". It also notes external factors affecting the sentiment of a film.
February 2021: Rotten Tomatoes Announces Design Changes
In February 2021, Rotten Tomatoes announced design changes including the addition of release year, genre, runtime, and MPAA rating to the Score Box. The number of ratings were grouped, and score details information was made more accessible. A new "What to Know" section combining critics and audience sentiments was also added.
2022: Rotten Tomatoes API Access Restrictions
As of 2022, Rotten Tomatoes API access is restricted to approved developers who must go through an application process. The service, intended for US use only, requires permission for use elsewhere.
September 2023: Vulture criticizes Rotten Tomatoes manipulation
In September 2023, a Vulture article criticized Rotten Tomatoes for the ease with which large companies can manipulate reviewer ratings. The article cited Bunker 15 using 2018's Ophelia as an example of boosting scores via obscure reviewers.
February 2024: WIRED defends PR tactics in review process
In February 2024, WIRED published an article by Christopher Null arguing that PR agencies' methods of influencing reviews are standard practice across industries. He points out that sponsoring legitimate reviews is a common strategy for indie titles seeking visibility.
April 2024: Rotten Tomatoes scores influence director hiring
In April 2024, The Hollywood Reporter noted that producers are increasingly referencing directors' past Rotten Tomatoes scores during pitch meetings. This reliance on critical acclaim is influencing hiring decisions.
August 21, 2024: Rotten Tomatoes rebrands the audience score as the Popcornmeter
On August 21, 2024, Rotten Tomatoes rebranded its audience score as the Popcornmeter and introduced a new "Verified Hot" badge for films with an audience score of 90% or higher among verified ticket purchasers via Fandango. Over 200 films retroactively received the badge since the launch of verified audience ratings in May 2019.
April 2025: Removal of Average Score
In April 2025, Rotten Tomatoes removed the average score on a 0 to 10 scale feature, which had been introduced in 2003.
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