# How much weight do movie ratings carry with you (for movies you WANT to see)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 3, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-weight-do-movie-ratings-carry-with-you-for-movies-you-want-to-see/687594 "2014-05-03T18:27:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-weight-do-movie-ratings-carry-with-you-for-movies-you-want-to-see/687594/21 "2014-05-05T04:50:30Z")
If it’s a movie I really want to see, I’m going to go see it regardless of reviews, and make my own decision. I voted 2, because if the movie is universally panned I might consider that (and would definitely consider it for a movie I was on the fence about) but I will still see it in the theater. Generally I don’t read detailed reviews of a movie before I go see it, though. I’ll take a look at the Rotten Tomatoes score, but I don’t want any of the details until after I’ve seen it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-weight-do-movie-ratings-carry-with-you-for-movies-you-want-to-see/687594/22 "2014-05-05T08:58:05Z")
Under the conditions you specified, a 5. Good reviews don’t mean much to me but bad reviews do. There’s a lot of ways to fuck up a movie, most of them not apparent until the final product is out. If the reviews make it out to be an ambitious failure, I don’t really have an interest in seeing it unless it later attains some kind of cultural significance, there’s too many good movies to be watched to waste time seeing a bad one. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-weight-do-movie-ratings-carry-with-you-for-movies-you-want-to-see/687594/23 "2014-05-05T09:19:24Z")
I didn’t vote because there’s a vast difference between 5 and 4 and I want to be in that gap. Generally, reviews won’t put me off going to see something I really want to see, _within reason_. A near-consensus of terrible reviews will probably put me off. Also, it needs to be said that the _content_ of the reviews cannot be ignored. I’m not just looking at how many stars they give. If the negative reviews say “too complex” or “too surreal” I will largely ignore them as I don’t mind such features. OTOH “formulaic” or “too many long action sequences” are red flags. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-weight-do-movie-ratings-carry-with-you-for-movies-you-want-to-see/687594/24 "2014-05-05T09:39:52Z")
1. I don’t typically read reviews anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-weight-do-movie-ratings-carry-with-you-for-movies-you-want-to-see/687594/25 "2014-05-05T11:34:51Z")
4 is the closest. I use Rotten Tomatoes a lot to decide whether a film is worth watching, but if I _really_ wanted to see it already, it would have to go below about 60% before I’d change my mind (which isn’t even _most_ reviews being bad, but it’s still not great). There aren’t actually a lot of films I’ll expect to like without seeing any kind of review. I have too much experience of getting fooled by crappy films, and I’m too cheap to buy a ticket for something I’m not pretty sure will be awesome on a big screen. ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-weight-do-movie-ratings-carry-with-you-for-movies-you-want-to-see/687594/26 "2014-05-05T12:08:04Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > 4 is the closest. I use Rotten Tomatoes a lot to decide whether a film is worth watching, but if I _really_ wanted to see it already, it would have to go below about 60% before I’d change my mind. Same for me, except my threshold is 50%. If reviews are mixed on something I really want to see, I’ll take note of the negative critiques, adjust my expectations and go see it anyway. Mostly bad reviews and I probably won’t bother. ---
**Author:** ![fc1114](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@fc1114](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fc1114)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-weight-do-movie-ratings-carry-with-you-for-movies-you-want-to-see/687594/27 "2014-05-07T23:42:05Z")
I NEVER care about movie reviews. I watch what I want to see, easy as that. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-weight-do-movie-ratings-carry-with-you-for-movies-you-want-to-see/687594/28 "2014-05-08T04:40:53Z")
I might read a review to make a more informed choice, or I might deliberately wait until afterward to see what other people think, if I even care by then. So, choice 3 is the closest. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-weight-do-movie-ratings-carry-with-you-for-movies-you-want-to-see/687594/29 "2014-05-08T17:12:37Z")
The only movie reviews that would sway me are for movies I’m on the fence about seeing. ---
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-weight-do-movie-ratings-carry-with-you-for-movies-you-want-to-see/687594/30 "2014-05-08T18:37:49Z")
5 - I don’t want to later feel like I’ve spent $$$ on a movie that I basically felt was a waste of my time (and $$$). Fortunately for me MOST movies that I have a good “feel” for are ones that also get good (if not great) reviews from critics. That’s not to say that the reverse is true for me, though. Sometimes, no matter how good the reviews for a particular movie are I won’t go watch it simply because the subject matter doesn’t interest me. Quick note: judging which movies to go see, for me, can be a little like conducting a pro draft - you win some, you lose some. There’ve been a few that I didn’t go see in the theater that I wish I had, and there’ve been some that I’ve paid the “big $$$” for to go see in the theater that I REALLY wish I hadn’t paid the “big $$$” for. In all honesty, judging that kind of thing ahead of time can be a bit of a crapshoot. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Batman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@The\_Batman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Batman)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-weight-do-movie-ratings-carry-with-you-for-movies-you-want-to-see/687594/31 "2014-05-08T19:14:15Z")
I put down 4 but it’s more like 4.5. I try to avoid movie reviews because they influence me too much sometimes, but on certain popcorn flicks I’ll just think “Fuck it. Gemma Arterton is in it.” and watch it despite the panning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-weight-do-movie-ratings-carry-with-you-for-movies-you-want-to-see/687594.md?page=1)