Why IMDb Ratings Lie — And What GoodScore Gets Right

IMDb is the world's most popular movie rating site. But relying on a single crowd-voted number can mislead you. GoodScore combines four major platforms into one rating — and the differences are revealing.

The Problem with One Number

IMDb ratings reflect crowd popularity. A movie can have a high rating because of dedicated fans, nostalgia, or even coordinated voting. It doesn't account for critical consensus (Rotten Tomatoes), expert evaluation (Metacritic), or global community ratings (TMDB).

GoodScore solves this by combining all four. When they agree, you know a movie is genuinely good. When they disagree, that tells you something too.

Movies IMDb Overrates

These movies have IMDb ratings of 7+ but significantly lower GoodScores when you factor in RT, Metacritic, and TMDB:

Movies IMDb Underrates

And these movies have moderate IMDb ratings but much higher GoodScores — meaning critics and other platforms disagree with the crowd:

The Takeaway

IMDb is one data point. GoodScore gives you four. When you're deciding what to watch, a single crowd-voted number can steer you toward popular-but-mediocre picks and away from genuinely great films that didn't get enough votes.

GoodWatch uses GoodScore alongside emotional profiles to make sure you find movies that are both well-rated and right for your mood.