Rotten Tomatoes

In 1998, three UC Berkeley students – Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang – launched a website that would change how people decide what to watch. Duong had been collecting reviews for the movie Rush Hour on a single page. When the film's release got pushed back, he kept going with other titles. That side project became Rotten Tomatoes, named after the old theater tradition of throwing rotten vegetables at bad acts. The early logo featured decaying tomatoes with worms, giving the site a playful, anti-establishment vibe that matched its scrappy origins.

The site's core innovation is the Tomatometer, a simple percentage showing what share of professional critics gave a movie or show a positive review. A score of 60% or higher earns a Fresh rating; below that, it's Rotten. Alongside that sits the Audience Score, capturing what regular viewers think. This two-perspective system gives users a quick read on both critical consensus and public opinion. Over the years, the brand has gone through several owners – Warner Bros. bought it in 2011, then Fandango acquired it in 2016. Fandango is now 75% owned by Versant and 25% by Warner Bros. Discovery.

Rotten Tomatoes' influence is enormous. A high Tomatometer score can boost a film's box office, while a low one can tank opening weekend. That power has sparked debate: directors and studios argue that a single number oversimplifies nuanced criticism and can unfairly shape a movie's fate. In 2018, the company responded to criticism about its predominantly white and male critic pool by adding hundreds of women and critics of color, along with a grant program helping diverse critics attend festivals like TIFF and Sundance. Today, the site remains a central reference point for entertainment audiences worldwide. [edit]