IMDb ratings: the weighted average, your own history and the safeguards
An IMDb rating is one number on a title's main page, a weighted average of the scores from 1 to 10 that registered users give. The help pages set the rules: one score per title per user, and safeguards that detect and defeat coordinated or fake ratings. The figure is updated numerous times a day, and IMDb calls it a guide rather than a verdict.
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What an IMDb rating means: the definition in IMDb's help pages
The help page gives the definition in one sentence: the individual scores are aggregated and summarized as a single IMDb rating, visible on the title's main page. The inputs come from registered users, who can give a score from 1 to 10 on every released title in the database.
The aggregate is not an arithmetic mean. The help page says the site does not use the sum of all scores divided by the number of scores, and the ratings page of a title says the figure is weighted to help keep it reliable. Some title pages show the weighted score beside an unweighted mean, so the displayed number can differ from the raw average.
Rating a movie or show: who can, when and how many times
Only registered users can score, on a scale from 1 to 10, and only released titles qualify. The option to rate a title appears once it has been released, and the help pages say a missing option means the system does not know the title has been released. A user's scores count in the aggregate once the account is verified.
One score is allowed per title per user. A user can change it at any time, because a new entry on the same title overwrites the previous one, and so the record never holds two.
The displayed average does not move with every submission. The weighted average is updated numerous times per day rather than on receipt of each new entry, so a score can drop or rise between one visit and the next. A new title shows no score at all until it has received a minimum of five ratings, which IMDb describes as the current minimum.
The Top 250 charts and the score breakdown: where to look
The help page says the Top 250 charts are reached through Movies, TV & Showtimes in the site navigation menu, where the drop-down menu offers Top 250 Movies and Top 250 TV Shows.
A single title has its own breakdown. To display the detailed breakdown, the page says to click the number of ratings directly below the average user score.
The breakdown opens from the count, and the headline figure stays the weighted average.
Your IMDb ratings history: Your Ratings and Advanced Title Search
A user's own record sits under Your Ratings. The help page says to click the name or ID in the upper right of the navigation bar, at the top of every IMDb page, and choose Your Ratings from the drop-down menu.
From there, Advanced Title Search narrows the list: the page says a user can view their scores by genre, year, type and more by selecting the options to refine by.
Because a new entry on a title overwrites the previous one, the record holds one current score per title.
Unusual activity and safeguards: what the help pages say IMDb does
IMDb says several safeguards are in place to automatically detect and defeat coordinated or fake ratings, meaning attempts to inflate or lower a title's score. Four other pieces of IMDb's own wording sit around that statement:
The conditions-of-use clause is about gathering site data; it does not specifically address automated voting.
The consequence IMDb describes for unusual activity is a changed weighting for the title, applied to protect the reliability of the score.
- Changed weighting: when unusual activity is detected, a different weighting calculation can be applied to preserve the reliability of the system.
- Same response, second page: another help page uses the same wording for unusual voting activity.
- Truthfulness: there is no foolproof way to verify that users have seen the title they are rating, so IMDb depends on users to be truthful and to score only titles they have seen.
- Conditions of use: data mining, robots, screen scraping and similar data gathering and extraction tools are prohibited without express written consent.
Why an IMDb rating is important, and where IMDb says to be careful
The help page answers modestly. The score can be useful and informative by itself, it says, but many other factors should be considered when evaluating a title, starting with the total number of ratings the title received.
Sample size is the first caution. According to the help page, a score built from hundreds of thousands of users is more reliable than one built from a dozen, and larger samples give a more representative result.
Reading a bad score: check the count, the breakdown and the unweighted mean
A low figure invites three checks, each taken from IMDb's own pages:
None of the three explains why one title scored low; each shows how much weight the figure can carry.
- The count: the total number of ratings is the first factor to consider, and a small number of votes makes the displayed figure less stable.
- The breakdown: clicking the number of ratings below the average opens the detailed breakdown for that title.
- The unweighted mean: some title pages show the weighted score beside an unweighted mean, which shows how far the displayed number sits from the raw average.
| Part | What the page says | Stated on |
|---|---|---|
| Who can score | Registered users, 1 to 10, released titles | IMDb help page |
| Entries per title | One score per user; a new one overwrites | IMDb help page |
| Display threshold | No score until a minimum of five ratings | IMDb help page |
| Average type | Weighted, updated numerous times per day | IMDb help page |
| Unusual activity | A different weighting can be applied | Two IMDb help pages |
| Robots and data mining | Prohibited without express written consent | Conditions of use |
What to do
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Register with IMDb
Only registered users can give a score from 1 to 10 on a released title in the database.
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Verify the account
IMDb's help page says a user's scores are factored into the aggregate once the account has been verified.
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Open a released title
The option to score appears only after a title has been released; a missing option means the system does not know the title has been released.
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Give a score from 1 to 10
Each user holds one score per title, and submitting a new one overwrites the previous one.
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Open Your Ratings
Click the name or ID in the upper right of the navigation bar and choose Your Ratings from the drop-down menu to review the record.
Frequently asked
What is an IMDb rating?
An IMDb rating is the single score on a title's main page, aggregated from the scores that registered users give from 1 to 10. IMDb weights it instead of taking the arithmetic mean.
How does an IMDb rating work?
Registered users score each released title from 1 to 10, and IMDb aggregates those scores into one weighted average that is updated numerous times per day. A user's scores count in the aggregate once the account is verified.
Why is an IMDb rating important?
IMDb's help page says the score works as a guide to a title, not as a final verdict. It lists other factors to weigh, starting with the total number of ratings received.
How to give an IMDb rating?
A registered user with a verified account opens a released title and gives a score from 1 to 10; a new score on the same title replaces the earlier one.
How to see the IMDb rating chart?
The help page says the Top 250 charts sit under Movies, TV & Showtimes in the site navigation menu, as Top 250 Movies and Top 250 TV Shows. A single title's detailed breakdown opens by clicking the number of ratings below its average user score.
Why is an IMDb rating low or bad for a title?
The help pages explain how every title's score is built, not why one title's score is low. A score based on few ratings is less reliable than one built from many, and a different weighting can apply when activity is unusual.
Why does a new title show no IMDb rating?
IMDb currently withholds a displayed score until a title has received a minimum of five ratings. The option to score a title also appears only once the title has been released.
Can IMDb detect coordinated or fake ratings?
Yes. IMDb says several safeguards automatically detect and defeat coordinated or fake ratings meant to inflate or lower a title's score. A different weighting can also apply when activity is unusual.
Cited sources
- help.imdb.com. help.imdb.com/article/imdb/track-movies-tv/ratings-faq/G67Y87TFYYP6TWAV.
- help.imdb.com. help.imdb.com/article/imdb/track-movies-tv/ratings-faq/G67Y87TFYYP6TWAV.
- help.imdb.com. help.imdb.com/article/imdb/track-movies-tv/ratings-faq/G67Y87TFYYP6TWAV.
- help.imdb.com. help.imdb.com/article/imdb/ratings-and-reviews/faq-for-imdb-ratings/G67Y87TFYYP6TWAV.
- help.imdb.com. help.imdb.com/article/imdb/featured-content/ratings-faq/G67Y87TFYYP6TWAV.
This page cannot explain the weights IMDb applies, cannot show why any single title's score is low, and cannot change or remove a score. IMDb decides how unusual activity is treated, and its help pages do not say what counts as unusual. Nothing here offers a way to raise a score.
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