The "weighting".

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23037638/

@VaDirector​ Hi!

It's not uncommon for initial ratings to start high and then go down after a brief period of time. Movies or shows with a relatively low total number of votes are particularly susceptible to substantial changes in the weighted rating.

When a title only has a few votes, it doesn't take many more subsequent votes for the rating to change.

 We don't use the arithmetic mean (i.e. the sum of all votes divided by the number of votes), although we do display the mean and average votes on the votes breakdown page; instead the rating displayed on a title's page is a weighted average.

Cheers!

I know you use a weighted average. So to try and combat that I had people I knew who had given me a 10 to change their rating to a lower score. Ironically, for a brief moment that raised my score by .1. 

The change in my score wasn't gradual. It was virtually overnight. 

And I know you use a "weighted" score to give me that 4.1. But I had a difficult time figuring out how you did it. I took all the scores and put them into a spreadsheet. I deleted all my 10s, 9s and 8s but kept every single 1 and I still couldn't get down to a 4.1.

You play at being transparent by showing us the "mean" and the data behind our score. But you do not show us how you weight, aka artificially lower a score. 

If we knew what you penalized, we would not do that. 

What you're doing is also unfair to indie filmmakers who don't have a $150 million budget. 

Hi @VaDirector,

Please refer to our Ratings FAQ for more information. Specifically:

So what you're telling me is a game is being played and you won't tell me the rules.

Yes, I had too many 10s. Friends and family will do that. I also have way too many 1s. Trolls and people with unhappy childhoods will do that. When are you going to adjust for them?

My "mean" is now down to 5.8. Which honestly is where I think my film should be. It's not a blockbuster. It's not perfect. But it does tell a clear story and it does have impact.

But your mysterious weighting doesn't care. Apparently IMDB doesn't care either.

Oh, and big thanks for just cutting and pasting some FAQ. That's real customer service right there.

Quick note: Your FAQ has "an different weighting system." It's "a different weighting system."

Hi @VaDirector,

We cannot disclose any further details on our rating mechanism. As mentioned above, this is to ensure its effectiveness in combating attempted vote manipulation. However, I can confirm we have reviewed this report, and please rest assured that although no immediate action may be taken, all reports are carefully examined to help us fine-tune and improve the effectiveness of the rating system.

We appreciate your feedback in regards to this issue, and will ensure it's shared with the appropriate team. Thank you for also identifying a mistake in the FAQ, we will update this accordingly.

Thanks!

Thanks.  I don't mean to give you a hard time, but I hope you understand how frustrating it is to have your movie go from a 6.7 to a 4.1 virtually overnight and not have any idea whatsoever why.

People like me who make low budget movies, who don't have stars but do tell stories, are getting hit from all sides. Why make movies if the internet database for all films is just going to stomp on it and not tell you why?

Regarding your secret weighting, I have almost as many 1s as I do 10s. I hope the score is adjusted to reflect that.

Quick question: Can I add critic reviews to my IMDB page? Right now there are only two and I have many more than that.

@VaDirector​ Hi! do you refer to links for external reviews? If that is the case yes, please follow our guidelines.

Cheers!