Rotten Tomatoes’ Ownership Shake-Up Raises Privacy Concerns — and Opens the Door for Criticless

Visitors to the Rotten Tomatoes website for movie reviews and news are first presented with a large pop-up at the bottom of the screen. The message informs them that the site is now owned by Versant, and by continuing, you agree to their new terms, and acknowledge that their updated privacy policy now applies to all your existing data. 

Following the link to “Your Rights” in the privacy policy directs users to Versant Privacy, where they are informed that they have “the right to opt out of the ‘sale,’ ‘sharing,’ or use of your personal data for ‘targeted advertising.’” In other words, anyone creating an account with Rotten Tomatoes agrees to having their data sold unless manually choose otherwise. Most users will likely skip the fine print, meaning their personal information can be shared or sold by default.

The ratings for The Last of Us Season 2 on Rotten Tomatoes – Rotten Tomatoes

It’s a reminder of the saying, if something on the internet is free, you are the product. But it may also lead users to question who Rotten Tomatoes’ parent company Versant is and how their interest may affect the objectivity of the movie scores. It could also encourage some to seek out platforms that don’t collect personal data. 

Who is Versant?

In November of 2024, Comcast announced that they were splitting off their cable and digital holdings into a separate company, later named Versant. Among those digital assets were Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes. That change in ownership is more than corporate reshuffling—it has real implications for how user data is handled.

Fandango, founded in 2000, is an online movie ticketing service, which Comcast acquired in 2007. In 2016, Fandango purchased Rotten Tomatoes, the popular movie review aggregator known for its now iconic Fresh vs. Rotten Tomatometer. Tracing back the history and ownership has caused some analysts to argue that the site “is in decline, having evolved into an entity that prioritizes the interests of major studios over those of its users.”

A screenshot of Transformers One’s Rotten Tomatoes scores

Given accusations that Rotten Tomatoes scores were sometimes manipulated by outside PR firms, and the binary methodology of the scoring system, the trustworthiness and value of the site is increasingly in question. Will users resent having their personal information sold to advertisers just to rate movies in a potentially compromised ecosystem? 

Additionally, there’s a growing divide between critics and moviegoers. It’s become something of an internet joke that when critics pan a film but audiences love it, the movie is probably worth seeing. But notably, it’s the critics’ scores that are put on movie posters and Blu-ray boxes. There’s a sense among many that an alternative is needed. 

Criticless: The Rotten Tomatoes Alternative 

Launched in August 2023, Criticless is a social media platform for reviewing movies and TV shows. Unlike Rotten Tomatoes, which sits within a large corporate structure, Criticless is independently operated by Blaine Andrews and his small team. As the name implies, Criticless bypasses the mainstream media voices and develops its scores from the ratings of its users, “emphasizing the opinions of regular people and their communities, and forcing the entertainment industry to acknowledge what the public really wants.”

Review scores for Ironheart on Criticless – Criticless.com

The rating system uses a slider, from 0% “Bogus” to 100% “Most Excellent,” providing a more nuanced score than rotten or fresh. Beyond that, the content, like violence and political bias, can also be rated, which many users appreciate. As social media site, it also encourages discussion in a user-friendly way through both the website the mobile app.

Another significant difference between Criticless and Rotten Tomatoes is that Criticless does not sell user data. Instead, it relies on advertising and an optional subscription that adds features to generate revenue. As internet culture increasingly values authenticity, the democratization of opinion, and the protection of privacy, resources like Criticless are positioned to thrive in the new public square.

How do you feel about the changes at Rotten Tomatoes? Will you be looking into alternatives like Criticless? Let us know in the comments!