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Tomatometer® Criteria
Thank you for your interest in applying for Tomatometer® approval.
Applications will reopen March 1, 2027.
What is "Tomatometer approval"?
The Tomatometer® score represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show.
In order for a review to be added to the Tomatometer, either the critic or publication (or both) that published it must be "Tomatometer-approved," meaning that they meet Rotten Tomatoes' set of eligibility guidelines and reflect our key values outlined below – including insight and professional dedication.
Tomatometer approval for critics and publications is indicated by this badge:
Who are the Tomatometer-approved critics?
Tomatometer-approved critics come from all across the U.S., and the world. Their reviews embody several key values – insight and dedication among them – and meet the eligibility guidelines outlined below.
Individually Tomatometer-approved critics
Tomatometer-approved publications
How can I become Tomatometer-approved?
Critics and publications who wish to apply for Tomatometer approval should first review these guidelines and our
Applications are accepted yearly during the month of March. All submissions go through a thorough vetting process and are evaluated against our criteria and the Critics Code of Conduct. Due to the number of submissions we receive each year, we cannot guarantee a response time. If your application is declined, you may reapply after one year.
Key Values
Insight: Criticism can be many things: a deep dive into the filmmaking craft, an analysis of subtext, a discussion on social commentary, an enthusiastic argument. We look for engaging content that has a distinct voice and offers perspective on a film or TV series, not just a plot summary.
Audience: Our intention is to reflect and represent the moviegoing and TV viewing audience with our Tomatometer-approved critics community. To cultivate a rich, varied, and inclusive space for engaging perspectives and debate, we seek critics who engage both niche interests in cinema and the entertainment viewing audience at-large.
Quality: Reviews should observe grammatical rules and demonstrate clarity and structure, whether approved by an editorial staff or self-published. In the same vein, video and podcast reviews should be well structured and have clear resolution and sound.
Dedication: Whether you're a podcaster producing multiple shows per month or a freelancer contributing to an alt-weekly, we recognize that there are varying degrees of output among critics. We look for commitment to the field demonstrated by at least two years of consistent professional review output. Additionally, memberships in critics organizations are recognized as a sign of merit, but are not essential for – nor do they guarantee – inclusion.
We expect both applicants and approved critics to honor journalistic integrity, demonstrate ethical behavior, and observe our Critics Code of Conduct.
All Tomatometer-approved critics and publications are subject to an ongoing re-evaluation process to ensure they continue to meet the current criteria and reflect our key values.
Eligibility Guidelines
In order to be eligible for inclusion on Rotten Tomatoes, reviews must focus substantially on the film or television title(s) being analyzed – interviews, feature articles, and coverage of other entertainment/media/beats are not eligible.
Content exclusively published on social media, community sites, or message boards is also not eligible to be added to Rotten Tomatoes – posts on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd, IMDb, and YouTube shorts are not eligible.
Individual Critics
Consistent review output for a minimum of two years.
Demonstrated film/TV review coverage at a publication outside of a self-published website. However, we will consider critics who solely self-publish if their site and work reflect our key values.
A minimum of 200,000 UMV as reported by SimilarWeb qualifies for wide audience reach.
Personal Substacks, Mediums, and other newsletters should have 5,000 subscribers or more to qualify.
We will consider critics who solely self-publish if their site and work reflect our key values.
A regular appearance providing reviews on a major and/or well-regarded local/national/international TV or radio outlet.
Consistent review output for a minimum of two years.
A minimum of 30K subscribers on YouTube qualifies for wide audience reach. We also look to include critics who broaden the discourse around film/TV, even if they may not meet this metric, and will consider these applicants on a case-by-case basis.
Critics exclusively reviewing at a podcast should not apply individually - instead, submit an outlet application on behalf of the entire podcast.
Publications
Consistent review output for a minimum of two years.
A minimum of 2 million visits over 6 months as reported by SimilarWeb qualifies for wide audience reach. We also look to include critics who broaden the discourse around film/TV, even if they may not meet this metric, and will consider these applicants on a case-by-case basis.
At least three individually approved critics contributing to the publication on a regular basis.
Demonstrated consistent social media presence and engagement.
Eligible TV and radio outlets and programs should be broadcasting reviews on a major and/or well-regarded local/national/international network or station.
Demonstrated consistent social media presence and engagement.
Consistent review output for a minimum of two years.
A minimum of 200K subscribers on a video publishing platform qualifies for wide audience reach. We also look to include critics who broaden the discourse around film/TV, even if they may not meet this metric, and will consider these applicants on a case-by-case basis.
The show should feature multiple critics.
Demonstrated consistent social media presence and engagement.
Consistent review output for a minimum of two years.
Publish at least four episodes per month.
A minimum of 200 ratings on Apple Podcasts with a minimum score of 4 stars qualifies for wide audience reach. We also look to include critics who broaden the discourse around film/TV, even if they may not meet this metric, and will consider these applicants on a case-by-case basis.
Demonstrated consistent social media presence and engagement with audience.
Critics exclusively reviewing at a podcast submit an outlet application on behalf of the entire podcast, not individually.
We take the integrity of our scores very seriously, and in an effort to continue delivering quality and authentic reviews, all Tomatometer-approved critics and outlets are subject to re-evaluation.
Approval status can be removed or suspended, including, but not limited to, when a critic or outlet no longer meets our criteria,
or engages in activity that breaches our
In order to maintain access to add reviews as a critic, self-submitters and source administrators must remain active in adding reviews to Rotten Tomatoes.
Video and/or podcast channels newly created by established editorial platforms, whether or not such platforms have been previously Tomatometer-approved, will be evaluated against the above criteria and may be considered separate publications on Rotten Tomatoes.
From time to time we change our guidelines, and there may be critics or publications who are still included in the Tomatometer® that may not meet the current set of guidelines.
Outlets that are self-published by Tomatometer-approved critics are subject to the guidelines above and will be added to Rotten Tomatoes on a case-by-case basis.
In all cases, Rotten Tomatoes maintains the right to approve, reject, include, exclude and remove critics, reviews and publications on a case-by-case basis at any time.
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