A heated debate has erupted over the authenticity of audience reviews for the documentary "Melania" on Rotten Tomatoes. While the platform assures there's no bot manipulation, some are skeptical, pointing to a stark contrast between critic and audience scores.
Rotten Tomatoes, a renowned movie review hub, maintains that its "Popcornmeter" score for the Melania Trump documentary is solely based on verified audience reviews from ticket-holders. However, with the film's disappointing box office performance and a significant budget, doubts linger.
"The verified reviews on Rotten Tomatoes for Melania all seem to be from new accounts with no previous posts. Who's funding these bots?" questions one social media user.
Another user shares their experience, "I checked out the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes for the Melania movie, and it's fishy. All the verified reviews, which are overwhelmingly negative, are from accounts with no other reviews and tickets bought through Fandango."
"They're calling Melania the most botted Rotten Tomatoes audience-reviewed movie ever," adds another.
Jimmy Kimmel, in his talk show, highlights the film's low 5% "Tomatometer" score, comparing it to the infamous Gigli. However, he contrasts this with the 99% positive audience score, surpassing even The Godfather. Kimmel humorously suggests, "Donald J. Corleone had nothing to do with it, but we need to investigate! Send in Tulsi Gabbard and the FBI!"
Kimmel's monologue also mentions reports of bulk ticket purchases and free distribution to Republican activists and senior homes, reminiscent of the Don Jr. book scandal in 2019, where the Republican National Committee bought $100,000 worth of his book to boost sales.
As of Sunday, Melania stands at an 8% critic score and a remarkable 99% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The controversy raises questions about the integrity of audience reviews and the potential influence of political interests. What do you think? Is there more to this story than meets the eye? Share your thoughts in the comments!
