How to Find a Movie’s Audience and Critic Ratings

Updated 10 November 2026 · Standard formula, shown below

Checking a movie’s audience and critic ratings before you watch can help you decide whether it suits your taste and expectations. You’ll need the movie’s title, and ideally its release year or a cast member to distinguish it from films with similar names; ratings are available on movie databases, review aggregators, and streaming services.

What You’ll Need

The movie’s title, plus its release year, director, or a cast member if the title is common.
Internet access to search a movie database, review site, or streaming listing.
A moment to check what each rating measures and how many people contributed.

Step-by-Step

Identify the exact movie. Search the title together with the release year or a lead actor’s name. Check the film’s poster, cast, runtime, or plot summary against the movie you intend to watch. This avoids confusing a remake, sequel, international release, or another film with the same title.
Open a source that labels its ratings. Search for the movie’s title and the words “critic score” or “audience rating,” or open a reputable movie database or review aggregator directly. A streaming service may also show a viewer score, but its method and audience can differ from those of an independent rating site.
Find the critic rating. Look for a score specifically attributed to professional critics, such as a percentage of positive reviews or an average star rating. Read the label and its explanation: a percentage usually represents the share of reviews classified as positive, not the percentage of the movie that is good. An average score instead summarizes reviewers’ ratings on a scale.
Find the audience rating. Look for a separate score based on user or viewer ratings. Confirm that the site identifies it as audience feedback rather than a second critic score. Some platforms display a percentage of favorable votes, while others use a star scale or a numerical average.
Check the number of ratings or reviews. A score based on many contributions is generally more informative than one based on a handful, though it still represents only the people who chose to rate the film. If a new release has few ratings, treat the score as provisional and check back later.
Read the rating scale and any qualifications. See whether the site explains how it calculates the score, whether only verified ticket buyers can rate, and whether critic reviews are weighted or counted equally. Sites can use different rules, so scores from separate platforms are not directly interchangeable.
Compare with a second source if the result seems surprising. Look up the same exact release on another established source. Compare like with like: critic score against critic score, and audience score against audience score. Note whether the second site uses a different scale or a much smaller sample.
Read a few reviews for context. Skim a positive and a negative review, focusing on points that matter to you, such as pacing, humor, scares, acting, or a faithful adaptation. Avoid plot details if you want to stay spoiler-free. Ratings can summarize reactions, but a short review may explain why viewers disagree.
Make your decision using your preferences. Treat ratings as a guide rather than a guarantee. If you usually enjoy a genre or filmmaker that critics dislike, a low critic score may not rule the movie out. Conversely, a strong average cannot promise that its style or content will be right for you.

Common Mistakes

Mixing up critics and audiences: A page may show both prominently. Read the labels before comparing the figures.
Misreading a percentage: On some sites, a high percentage means many reviews were favorable; it does not mean each reviewer gave the film that exact score.
Ignoring the sample size: A very high or low score based on few ratings can change substantially as more people respond.
Comparing different scales: A critic-approval percentage, a ten-point average, and a five-star viewer score measure reactions differently. Do not treat their numbers as equivalent.
Assuming every viewer rating is verified: Rating policies vary. Check whether the site describes verification or other safeguards instead of assuming they apply.
Using one score as a verdict: Ratings reflect a group’s opinions and may not match your tastes, expectations, or reasons for watching.
Clicking into spoilers by accident: Review summaries and comments can reveal major plot points. Use spoiler-free filters or stick to scores and short, clearly labeled reviews.

Tips

Search with the year and one identifying detail when a film has a generic title, a remake, or several installments.
Check the date of the score. Early ratings can come from a small group and may shift as more reviews arrive.
Look at the score distribution when available. Two movies with the same average may have very different mixes of enthusiastic and disappointed viewers.
Use content information, such as a film’s rating classification or trigger and content notes, separately from quality scores if suitability matters to you.
For a useful comparison, check the same source for several movies you have already seen. That can help you understand how its scale tends to match your own preferences.
Keep the decision simple: use the scores to shortlist, then use a brief spoiler-free review or synopsis to confirm the movie sounds appealing.

Troubleshooting

You cannot find the movie: Add the release year, director, country, or a cast member to your search. Try the original title if the film was released under different names, and check that you have not opened a similarly titled series or sequel.

The page shows only one score: Some sources focus on critics, while others show only member ratings. Try a second source that explicitly separates critic and audience results. If the movie is new or obscure, one category may not yet have enough ratings to display.

Scores conflict across sites: Compare each site’s labels, rating scale, review count, and date. Differences can reflect distinct audiences, scoring methods, or review samples rather than an error. Read a few reviews before drawing a conclusion.

The rating seems to change: Scores can update as new reviews or user ratings are added, or as a site revises its calculation. Check the displayed date and sample size; avoid treating a small change as meaningful on its own.

You are unsure whether a score is trustworthy: Look for an explanation of the scoring method and who can submit ratings. If the site gives no clear context, use it cautiously and compare with another source. No rating system can guarantee that you will like a film.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a critic score and an audience score?
Critic scores summarize reviews from professional critics under a site’s rules. Audience scores summarize ratings from users or viewers. Their contributors and calculation methods can differ.

Does a high critic percentage mean most critics gave the movie a perfect score?
No. On a favorable-review percentage scale, it generally means that a high share of counted reviews met the site’s threshold for a positive review. Check that site’s definition.

Why is the audience score different from the critic score?
Critics and general viewers may value different things, and they may see the movie at different times or bring different expectations. Each score also comes from its own group and method.

Which rating should I trust more?
Neither is universally more reliable. Use critic reviews for professional analysis and audience ratings to sample viewer reactions, then consider whether those reviewers’ priorities match yours.

Can I check ratings without seeing spoilers?
Usually. Stick to the score summary and clearly labeled spoiler-free reviews. Avoid comment sections, plot discussions, and detailed reviews if you want to keep the story unspoiled.

Why does a movie have no audience rating yet?
It may be new, have few user submissions, or not be rated by that particular site. Check back later or consult another source, and treat early scores as especially uncertain.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.