IMDb changes its rating system for Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ live-action adaptation over bad reviews

An accompanying disclaimer reveals that the rating system has identified anomalous voting patterns for this particular title and that an alternative weighting calculation has been implemented.

IMDb changes its rating system for Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ live-action adaptation over bad reviews
AP Photo/Marco Ugarte
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IMDb has recently made alterations to its audience rating system for Disney's latest live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid,” as stated on the platform's official website.

With a total of 43,000 votes, Disney's live-action rendition of “The Little Mermaid” currently holds a rating of 7.0/10 on the movie database website. However, an accompanying disclaimer reveals that the rating system has identified anomalous voting patterns for this particular title. To ensure the integrity of the rating system, an alternative weighting calculation has been implemented.

The notice was displayed on the IMDb pages dedicated to “The Little Mermaid” in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Brazil and Mexico.

“Although we accept and consider all votes received by users, not all votes have the same impact (or ‘weight’) on the final rating,” it states on the websites FAQ page. “When unusual voting activity is detected, an alternate weighting calculation may be applied in order to preserve the reliability of our system. To ensure that our rating mechanism remains effective, we do not disclose the exact method used to generate the rating.”

Although receiving a combination of positive and negative reviews from critics, certain individuals within the industry speculate that “The Little Mermaid” is being subjected to review bombing. This happens when a substantial number of individuals or a few individuals utilizing multiple accounts purposefully post negative user reviews online, even if they have not actually watched the content.

Despite facing critical backlash, Disney's “The Little Mermaid” managed to surpass an impressive $117 million in box office earnings during the Memorial Day weekend. While viewers lauded lead actress Halle Bailey for her performance, they expressed reservations about certain aspects of the film, particularly the disconcerting live-action renditions of Ariel's companions — Scuttle, Sebastian, and Flounder — which were deemed unnecessary and unsettling.

The movie has a 68% critic score and a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

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