Sign in to access user reviews

@Michelle​ This comes a big, sudden surprise to me, and a very unwelcome one. Being able to read reviews is nearly as essential to me, and I think most casual users, as being able to see and read basic movie details like cast and crew, trivia, awards, connections etc.

Or will these features slowly but surely also be restricted to registered users? 

Please take into account that being able to interact with the review section, like writing, editing or reporting, has always been restricted to registered users, so this doesn't explain the change. 

A legitimate reason could be, that user reviews (should) convey genuine, personal views, which unfortunately can now be harvested and abused freely by A.I., and regenerated as 'new' opinions here and elsewhere. 

This is a very real problem for all online content of course, which I can imagine has far greater impact than just the user review section.

Is this your way of trying to protect our authorship?

With best regards,

Richard

@Michelle​ thank you for the information. Of course it makes me sad that it's not just a bug, but an intended change :(. I had hopes, hehe.

Have a nice day.

Regards

Andreas

@Michelle​ 

This, "This extra step is part of our ongoing effort to keep IMDb's reviews a space for genuine, human voices," response is BS from Amazon. As always, Amazon prioritizes data collection, and its bottom line - over consumer experience (e.g. Amazon's Rufus AI disaster).

Amazon should stop absorbing actually useful services like IMDB if they're only going to kneecap them for consumers.

There's no legitimate user-facing reason for this change, other than Amazon's desire to collect ever more telemetry data from consumers.

Shameful.

@Michelle​ The reason given for now requiring registration - just to merely SEE the reviews - makes no sense, as others have pointed out. So we are left to conclude what the real reason is: IMDb wants to collect personal information from more of their visitors so they can sell it to third parties. Also, marketers can learn things about us as individuals from knowing which films and TV shows interest us enough that we click to read user reviews about them. But IMDb will soon find itself losing more than it gains once people start spending less time engaged on the site as a result (or even no longer visiting for the minimal remaining information that can always be found elsewehere.)

I still hope it's about protecting personal contributors' content, but it's up to the staff to properly explain. As IMDb so heavily relies on data and opinions provided by users and insiders (IMBb doesn't feature any staff-produced reviews or other editorial content, as far as I know, unlike some other media sites), it's vitally important for them to retain user loyalty. 

Yes, users can provide IMDb links to external reviews, which may be of higher quality, but these are often hidden behind paywalls, or else will produce mostly dead links after some years, due to all these rampant takeovers, bankruptcies, layout revisions and 'old' content scrubbing.

I'd also like to remind the staff that comparable media databases, like AllMovie, The Movie DB, Rotten Tomatoes, MUBI, MovieChat, Letterboxd, MovieMeter, TVTropes, AllMusic etc. all feature publicly accessible user reviews - though these aren't meant to be quality endorsements. 

As for user preference tracking, I think most of us know by now that companies collect cookies anyway when you haven't even registered at a site, so? 

@Michelle​ 

Michelle:We're updating how you access user reviews on IMDb

which will require you to sign in to view, report reviews. 

This is not a good idea 😫

sign in to  write, edit  reviews.

Is OK 😀

- - -

https://community-imdb.sprinklr.com/conversations/imdbcom/imdb-name-page-redesign/6351563ae7100d725d54c0bb?commentId=63878b2b038ef261b8f4b7fb&replyId=6387e1b00693e36e8a570bfa

Col_Needham,Employee

Wednesday, November 30th, 2022

@ACT_1​ 

and Many that do not register!!

Correct, registered customers make-up only a fraction of our userbase. 

IMDb has over 200 million unique visitors per month

(and that's visitors not visits, the latter being significantly higher).  

.

@Richard_J​

Reffering to your statement: 

"As for user preference tracking, I think most of us know by now that companies collect cookies anyway when you haven't even registered at a site, so? "

PS: Cookies are not registered if you for example  have sett up your browser to delete all of them every time you close your browser for example. Or if you look at the site in a private tab. Or if you every day before you close your computer for the day deletes all new cookies from the last 24H (thus keeping cookies for logins etc, but deletes all new cookies). etc, etc,etc. 

I personally use IMDb logged in anyway, but I know lotts of people who don't, including elderly people who don't have the capacity to logg inn, and people who don't want to logg inn etc.etc.

And the adds will still show for people not logged inn, so there would still be income from unregistered users also. 

@Richard_J​ Yes, cookies can be user-managed by those who bother to do it.  They affect what ads will appear on a page for you, but they also store a record of everything you browsed on the site.  So the problem here is that IMDb now wants your activity (all of it) to be connected with a personally identifiable individual, using the ability to see the reviews as a lure.  We all agree that requiring registration might be warranted for visitors who want to WRITE reviews, or request edits to the database, but why for mere visitors who don't go beyond looking at the reviews (and seeing ads)? There seems to be no benign reason for IMDb wanting to do this that could stand up to logical scrutiny. And, as I said, there are privacy implications when our personal information reaches third parties, whether they have some trusted affiliation with IMDb or not. 

@Michelle​ 

IMDb counts how many Reviews are read

This number will drop way low

if Readers need to Register

(Fewer folks will be reading your ads!!)

.

I just noticed this. Such a disappointment.

@jeorj_euler​ 

Jeorj Euler

Joined Nov 2000

https://www.imdb.com/user/ur0932020/

Now goes to

https://www.imdb.com/user/p.k7prgmxdtupd5l6cgvns5x4sne

.

11,421,500 reviews

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen

Review by MrCluckCluck

Apr 25, 2026

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32937780/review/rw11421500/

https://www.imdb.com/user/p.ktldha7b5xxneth7v2glasqrii/

_ _ _

214,524,000 Users registered

Jackson-4652

Joined Apr 2026

https://www.imdb.com/user/ur214524000/

https://www.imdb.com/user/p.2sgtb3krtez24hsdqilyd5bjn4

_ _ _ _ _

41,808,900 Titles

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt41808900/reference/

The Hopeful Humanist Cafe

Episode 57 - BOOMPF ..."It's Create a Word Day!"

Podcast Episode  November 22, 2020

---

ACT_1:

Podcasts are added late and have no Cast & Crew

Why are they here??

._ _ _ _

Michael

April 24, 2026 (United States)

Jaafar Jackson : Michael

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11378946/reference/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11378946/reviews/

1,143 reviews

_ _ _ _ 

4,176,610,910 Lists

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4176610910/

dgranger

Created Sunday, April 26th, 2026

What is The Best Disaster Movie on a Spaceship or in Space?

.

I noticed that in addition to the matter of topic.