What is 83% Rotten Tomatoes?

What Does 83% on Rotten Tomatoes Actually Mean?

When you see a movie or TV show with an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it's not an average rating or a percentile of fans who liked it. Instead, it’s a measure of critical consensus. Specifically, 83% means that 83% of the professional critics whose reviews were surveyed gave the film or series a positive review—defined by the site as a rating of 6 out of 10 or higher.

This score is known as the "Tomatometer." It reflects whether critics generally approve of the project, not how much they loved it. For instance, a critic could give a movie a 6/10—just passing—and it would still count toward the fresh total. On the flip side, a universally adored film might have near-universal acclaim but only a 90% score if a few critics were unimpressed.

Rotten Tomatoes gathers reviews from a curated selection of film critics across print, digital, and broadcast media. Each review is categorized as either "fresh" (positive) or "rotten" (negative), and the Tomatometer displays the percentage of fresh reviews. So, an 83% isn’t a grade in the traditional sense, but more like a snapshot of critical alignment.

It's also important to note that the Tomatometer doesn’t capture intensity of sentiment—just the direction. A film with mixed but generally favorable reviews can score high, while a polarizing masterpiece might score lower due to a significant number of strong negatives. That’s why it’s always useful to read the actual reviews or check the audience score for a fuller picture. In short, 83% on Rotten Tomatoes tells you that about four out of five critics recommend it. It’s a helpful starting point—but not the whole story.