Recent pieces from NME, Bloomberg and Forbes this weekend have some people talking. The latest example being pointed out is “Black Adam,” which currently sits at 44% on Rotten Tomatoes, but has an audience score of 90% — it’s yet another example of the major divide between regular moviegoers and film critics.
More and more critic scores and audience scores are diverging. It was always a known fact that, for decades, critics’ tastes did not align with what the audience wanted to see. Is it a matter of these same critics being out of touch with the general public’s tastes?
A film like “Memoria” might be praised by critics, but its 40% RT audience score sticks out like a sore thumb. Some of the more critically-heralded films of the last few years with low audience ratings include “Tree of Life” (59%), “Uncut Gems” (52%), “I’m thinking of ending things” (50%), “The Souvenir” (36%), Ad Astra (40%), Under the Skin (55%), The Green Knight (50%), “The Master” (62%), “Zama” (55%), “The Assassin” (48%), and The Last Jedi (41%).
I could also list hundreds upon hundreds of movies that audiences loved, but that critics hated. Regardless, you get the point.
It’s also probably wise to say that these contrasting opinions have always existed, but with Twitter and the likes of Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, they now have a platform. And that is both good and bad. Discussions and conflicts are 100% necessary in the world of film; it’s a subjective industry that wouldn’t exist without it.
We have, however, come to the point where a majority of mainstream audiences are just happy watching whatever is put in front of them. The Netflix top 10 is a great example of that as it’s usually filled with nothing but dreck, and I’ve always had the sneaking suspicion that a big chunk of the viewers watching these popular titles on the streamer are doing so while also scrolling on their phones every few minutes.
I usually attend press screenings, with every attendee largely glued to the screen, no phone in sight, but on the occasion I’ll pay for a ticket with a regular audience and, almost every time regret my decision. Why? Because there are always a few douchebags around me constantly texting on their phones or, even worse, going on their social media. What was the point of buying a movie ticket if you’re not even going to watch most of the movie?
“Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of em’ are stupider than that” — George Carlin
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.