Questions over the reliability of Rotten Tomatoes audience scores have been raised more and more in the last few months, as review bombing has seen figures jumping wildly in all directions. Now The Last of Us has debuted at a 100% approval rate…hours before the first episode was actually available to watch.
The Last of Us has been critically hailed as the best video game adaptation ever and currently holds a rare 98% approval rate from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. However, around 9 am ET, the audience score kicked off at 100%, 12 hours before the season premiere is set to hit HBO and HBO Max at 9 pm. Over the course of the day, the audience review volume jumped to 204 ratings, with a mix of five-star reviews from the majority and low scores from those pointing out that the show had not even aired yet. By 6 pm, the approval rating had dropped to 88%, with still three hours to premiere time.
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Rotten Tomatoes scores have been dominated by fans review bombing various TV shows and movies for reasons not related to the project itself. Recently, this has included backlash against The Rings of Power, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Willow, which saw audience ratings plummet with dozens of 1-star reviews dropping in every few minutes following the release of their first episodes. With The Last of Us, the review bombing is coming with a positive impact rather than a negative, but it doesn’t help those on the fence decide whether the series is for them or not.
Can Rotten Tomatoes Scores Be Trusted on the First Day of Big Releases?
With audiences able to leave reviews on the site without having to provide any kind of proof they have watched a series or movie, it is increasingly hard to know when an audience score is worth taking note of and when it is best left to mature a little. In the last year, critics and audiences have not seen eye to eye on many of the biggest releases, making it even more tricky to decide who to pay attention to if you are looking for a bit of inspiration over what to watch.
The Last of Us has wowed critics, and with that kind of unanimous praise, it was always believed that audience reviews would mirror this praise. However, once the show premieres and genuine reviews begin to come in, it could be difficult to see much difference in the comments about the series, as they have been full of nothing but praise so far. However, as a number of reviews have been giving low ratings to “counter fake reviews,” the audience score could well climb back up into the high 90%s from its current 88%.
Whatever the truth of how people feel about The Last of Us, the media coverage and general sense of awe being spread about the series almost guarantees a massive premiere for the show on HBO and HBO Max. With the series creators not planning on dragging the show out longer than the storyline of the games allows, it should not be long before confirmation of a second season is announced.
