Twitter User Explains How IMDb Ratings Can Be Manipulated After 'The Kashmir Files' Controversy
Wondering how IMDb Ratings work? This Twitter claims that IMDb ratings can be manipulated. In a thread, he explains how The Kashmir Files managed to get a ten-on-ten score initially amid the controversy.
The Kashmir Files' IMDb ratings became the eye of the storm after filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri raised questions on this. For the unversed, several movies in the past have got ten on ten ratings initially which usually decreases in a week or two. Dil Bechara, which is Sushant Singh Rajput's last movie also got a perfect 10/10 score. However, the film's rating as of now is 8.1.
So, how do IMDb ratings work?
File Photo
IMDb ratings are based on the votes by its registered users. People cast their individual votes from one to 10 on a particular film. These votes are then aggregated and summarized as a single IMDb rating.
Can IMDb ratings be manipulated?
Twitter
Also Read: 'You Are Muslim, You'll Support Terrorism,' Adil Hussain Trolled Over 'The Kashmir Files' Tweet
This Twitter user has explained how IMDb ratings are manipulated, and how many stars and filmmakers use it for their own benefit as part of a PR gimmick.
Rejoicing an Indian film winning IMDB's GOAT rating?
¡ª joyojeet pal (@joyopal) March 13, 2022
As someone who studies these things, we only won the population war.
You can go watch Kashmir Files to confirm if it is the greatest film ever, or I can explain with data, if that does anything for you, why @IMDB is broken pic.twitter.com/4F2l49INhX
Kashmir Files has a near total top end rating. Films don't get rated as magnificent universally. Usually there is a spread of people who love, hate, and most importantly, have moderate opinions.
¡ª joyojeet pal (@joyopal) March 13, 2022
See for instance comparison with Godfather and Dark Night, high rated films on IMDB pic.twitter.com/iIXhyMveNp
This places it well above every Indian film ever made. This also puts Vivek Agnihotri in the category of Coppola, Spielberg, Tarantino, Scorcese, Kurosawa among others whose films hit that note.
¡ª joyojeet pal (@joyopal) March 13, 2022
The biggest loser of this is @IMDB. One can safely assume that its rating system is largely useless for any Indian film/star, which activates a vocal minority w/strong opinions & experience gaming platforms (read Twitter trends).
¡ª joyojeet pal (@joyopal) March 13, 2022
Gainers include @RottenTomatoes & film critics
There is precedence to this. Any film with Deepika Padukone, Swara Bhaskar, Alia Bhatt and a range of others not obsequious to, or with last names not preferred by the current political dispensation will have their films aggressively rated down on IMDB.
¡ª joyojeet pal (@joyopal) March 13, 2022
Also Read: Chhapaak¡¯s IMDb Rating Drops After 4000 People Give 1-Star Rating, Twitter Suspects Foul Play
The win of Kashmir Files on IMDB is a great case study of misinformation, in technical terms 'astroturfing' or a flood of activity presenting as reality something is the narrative of a small but very loud minority.
¡ª joyojeet pal (@joyopal) March 13, 2022
This is not the first film to do this. South superstars in Tamil & Telugu cinema routinely benefit from fans clubs and PR systematically beefing up the ratings of their stars' films. This is arguably also true for fan activity driven ratings of media anywhere in the world
¡ª joyojeet pal (@joyopal) March 13, 2022
And this of course is about the nature of what gets going on IMDB -- big popular blockbusters do much better than smaller independent films. It does not offer the critic/viewer nuance of @RottenTomatoes (except if you dig)
¡ª joyojeet pal (@joyopal) March 13, 2022
If you MUST rely on IMDB, look at the "top 1000 voters" under the ratings section. This is almost always much lower than the general public rating.
¡ª joyojeet pal (@joyopal) March 13, 2022
The score, as well as the number of top 1000 who chose to watch the film matters.
Here is the rating for Asuran, a solid watch. pic.twitter.com/Mv2MvK6Hzf
If a film crosses 4/10 on the IMDB top 1000, its probably worth a shot.
¡ª joyojeet pal (@joyopal) March 13, 2022
Over 5/10, probably very worth watching.
Over 6/10, it is a fantastic film.
This rating system unduly prefers drama over comedy/masala, though even the best among Satyajit Ray's films barely cross 7/10
On this metric, the highest-rated Indian mainstream film this last year was Sardar Udham. In the last five years, only a handful of Indian films crossed this threshold -- Kumbalangi Nights, Hindi Medium, Tumbadd, The Great Indian Kitchen, and Newton. These are all fantastic films
¡ª joyojeet pal (@joyopal) March 13, 2022
Such a metric likely downgrades Indian film and narrative style of filmmaking, but a much safer metric if you are choosing what to watch and don't want to try again after five minutes after starting a film.
¡ª joyojeet pal (@joyopal) March 13, 2022
Now back to Kashmir Files, its top 1000 voter rating on @imdb is...... 1/10. The lowest rating possible.
¡ª joyojeet pal (@joyopal) March 13, 2022
This in a nutshell is how the information environment, especially around major products with wide consumer uptake, is verifiably muddy in India. pic.twitter.com/wp5NDVU0Ea
Meanwhile, Vivek Agnihotri, the director of The Kashmir Files, has been given Y category security by the CRPF wherever he travels across India, reports PTI. Seven to eight commandos of the CRPF will guard Agnihotri round the clock under the Y category security. The decision to provide the Y category security to Agnihotri by CRPF across India has been taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the sources said.
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Garima Satija leads the Entertainment vertical of Indiatimes. A storyteller at heart who enjoys the thrill of writing, she is sometimes found daydreaming about living the lives of movie characters. Also, she hates talking about herself in the third person.
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