Before 2019, Rotten Tomatoes used a 'pull' system where users voluntarily visited the site to rate movies. Since 2019, they switched to a 'push' system by prompting ticket-buyers via apps like Fandango.
The 'push' system yields more positive scores from opening-weekend crowds, while the 'pull' system (used before 2019) gives harsher scores from self-selected users.
The 'Real' score is calculated by subtracting verified (push) votes from the total audience, revealing the unverified (pull) crowd's rating, which is often lower.
For example, 'The Odyssey' showed a 97% Verified score versus a 56.2% Real score from unverified users on the same day.
Users can verify scores by inspecting a movie's page source and comparing 'likedCount' and 'notLikedCount' under 'audienceAll' and 'audienceVerified'.
The real score may be less reliable for films with fewer than 30 unverified votes due to small sample sizes.
Rotten Tomatoes is owned by Fandango Media, which is majority-owned by NBCUniversal and minority-owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, both major film studios.