Executive Summary

We are all in search of the best movies to watch, and the two sites that likely come to mind are IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. This study determines the differences in rating systems and movie preferences between IMDB users and Rotten Tomatoes critics, based on the top movies for each site, with data retrieved through web scraping.

Using both comparative and individual analysis, our results show a difference in ratings between the two sites, as not all top movies overlapped. Drama is the most preferred genre on both sites, but preferences diverge from there, and rating trends over time also differ.

At the individual level, newer movies receive more user ratings than older ones on IMDB, while Paramount and Warner Brothers were the most preferred studios among Rotten Tomatoes critics.

Full text article and source codes can be provided upon request.