A new scandal shook the world of cinema. In this case it is criticism. According to Vulture, which gave Rotten Tomatoes an in-depth report, it appears that the renowned communications agency went so far as to bribe some of the site’s critical staffers to inflate the film’s ratings. In particular, this is Bunker 15, responsible for the advertising campaign for Claire McCarthy’s book Ophelia – Love and Death (Ophelia), published in 2018. According to some Vulture sources, the press service ended up paying about $50 for each positive review. , which took the Daisy Ridley film from its initial score of 40%, which was decidedly low, to 62%. This was crucial for some commercial agreements as the film managed to gain distribution in the US.
Bunker 15 founder Daniel Harlow responded to the accusations: “Our lists have thousands of critics. Some of them have apparently set up a system to allow directors to sponsor or pay them to read their reviews.” However, the film’s production company, Covert Media, did not provide any comment. Instead, they were confirmed by Paul Schroeder. “The studios didn’t invent Rotten Tomatoes, and most of them don’t like it,” the director and screenwriter said. “But the system no longer exists.” The public has become dumber, people don’t look at reviews the same way they used to. So this site is something that studios can play with.”
Step back. What are rotten tomatoes? It is an aggregator of reviews of films and television series, which over the years has become a reference point for film lovers and non-film buffs. Each title in the huge, constantly updated database is assigned a percentage value, the sum of the positive (fresh) or negative (rotten) opinions expressed by Tomatometer-approved critics. Since not all critics are on the same level, there is a smaller circle that has greater authority – the “higher critics.” The so-called Tomatometer has practically become the most important parameter in the entertainment world, sometimes even decisive for the commercial outcome of a film, but it has also proven to be irregular and easily influenced.
Bunker 15’s manipulations did not go unnoticed. In addition to removing some of the headlines the company monitors, the site sent a stern warning to the reviewers themselves: “We take the integrity of our ratings seriously and do not tolerate any attempts at manipulation. We have a team that regularly monitors our platforms to investigate and address any suspicious activity.”