Ratings: Top 250 Movies (100K votes minimum)

With more and more new users appearing on IMDb, isn't it time to update some rules regarding Top 250 Movies?

The List claims "To be included on the list, a movie must receive ratings from at least 25000 users."

This was fair back in the day, but I would suggest that increasing that number up to 100K votes, would be a lot fairer.

I'm a big pioneer of getting movies more attention, but the Top 250 list that regards movies of ALL TIME, should be a bit tougher to get into and more memorable.

An alternate idea is to increase the list to a Top 1000, but that kind of makes it less special, don't you agree? It's too high of a number.

Movies that got released a month ago and have a huge fanbase, already appear on the list very easilly, because 25000 users on IMDb today is not as big of a number as it used to be a decade ago.

So, please do consider...

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daniel_tanielian

14 Messages

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358 Points

2 months ago

With more and more movies getting released today and more and more new users appearing on IMDb, isn't it time to update some rules regarding Top 250 Movies? The List claims "To be included on the list, a movie must receive ratings from at least 25000 users." This was fair back in the day, but I would suggest that increasing that number up to 100K votes, would be a lot better. I'm a big pioneer of getting movies more attention, but the Top 250 list that regards movies of ALL TIME, it should be a bit tougher to get into and more memorable. An alternate idea is to increase the list to a Top 1000, but that kind of makes it less special, don't you agree? It's too high of a number. Movies that got released a month ago and have a huge fanbase, already appear on the list very easilly, because 25000 users on IMDb today is not as big of a number as it used to be a decade ago. So Please, Consider... Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation Link : https://community-imdb.sprinklr.com/conversations/imdbcom/for-your-consideration-top-rated-movies-least-votes-100k/6960e4816396e03dbb49b85f Title : For Your Consideration - Top Rated Movies (least votes 100K)

NYVKE

1.2K Messages

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13K Points

I agree, FWIW.

2 months ago

Marco

3.3K Messages

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93.6K Points

2 months ago

I don't think this is a good idea (although I wouldn't mind very much if the bar were raised to 30,000 or 40,000). In 2012, IMDb increased the number of votes needed to be on the list from 3,000 to 25,000. As a result, 24 titles (almost 10% of the list) were thrown out of the Top 250. The fastest one to get back on the list needed only four days for this, but there were also titles that took years to assemble the needed votes.

(FWIW, I once made a list of it I updated last in 2018, when two titles still didn't have enough votes: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls079204573/ )

If the number of votes needed for the Top 250 would change to 100,000, I wouldn't be surprised if at least 10 per cent (or much more) of the titles would drop off the list and some would need years to make a comeback.

Apart from that, as you can see on this site: http://top250.info/stats/?9/7477 , the number of titles that get added to the Top 250 is less then 10 per year (5 in 2025, 9 in 2024 (among which a title from 1956 that had finally reached 25,000 votes at that point), 5 in 2023, etc), with about half of them dropping out eventually, so we're not talking enormous numbers here, in my opinion. And as you can see here: http://top250.info/stats/?8/7477 , there are a lot of years with about this number of titles in the Top 250, so it seems relatively balanced to me.

(edited)

jwade

6 Messages

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110 Points

9 days ago

IMDb page is too popular for those kind of numbers and this way movies that have no business being there end up on the Top 250 lists. I just had to sit and suffer through 1975 Turkish movie and an 6-hour long and slow Italian death. Those types of movies end up on the lists only because a relatively small number of people watch it and praise it. at least 50 or 75k ratings would be much more representative

Marco

3.3K Messages

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93.6K Points

@jwade I assume you're refering to the Italian film La meglio gioventu (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346336/reference/). It has received praise in the form of awards (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346336/awards/) as well as good reviews (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346336/criticreviews/ ). And of course, approx 28,000 people gave it a high vote on IMDb. These people came from all sorts of countries (only 10 % of the IMDb votes for this Italian title are from Italy: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346336/ratings/ and then click "Italy") So while you might not have liked it, it seems that this film might have earned its spot on the list...

Regarding the Turkish film, I assume you're refering to Hababam Sinifi: Sinifta Kaldi, and in that case, I agree that film very probably shouldn't be in the Top 250.

I haven't seen it, but I do know it's the second part in a series and the first part (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252487/reference/) has much more votes on IMDb (approx 46,000) and a much higher score (9,2!) than this film and despite this, it has only been in the Top 250 a few days all the way back in 2005/2006 (http://top250.info/movie/?0252487). So it would seem that IMDb has actively blocked this title from the Top 250. If so, I can understand why. This film didn't receive much acclaim (that is, I see no awards listed on IMDb) and judging by the plot outline doesn't seem to be Top 250 material in the sense that Police Academy isn't Top 250 material. And perhaps even more important, it has hardly aired outside Turkey (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252487/releaseinfo/) and about 67% of the votes on IMDb are from people from one country (Turkey, see https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252487/ratings/ ). I therefore see no reason to assume this film has been widely loved by film lovers all over the globe.

The fact that the second Hababam Sinifi flick has its rating and therefore its position in the Top 250 in a sort of freefall (http://top250.info/movie/?0252488/full) supports this theory. After all, since it's in the Top 250, lots of non-Turkish people have seen it because of its placement in the Top 250 and they don't seem to think it's that much of a classic.

Perhaps it would be a good idea if IMDb would not allow films in the Top 250 if a certain percentage of the votes (say 60%) comes from one single country because it's a sign that there's no general consensus among IMDb customers it's a classic.

(FWIW and for those who wonder, I randomly checked, and both Maharaja (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26548265/reference/) and Dangal (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5074352/reference/) would not lose their spot in the Top 250)

(edited)

8 days ago

jwade

6 Messages

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110 Points

9 days ago

recently my friend and I started a long path of getting all IMDb badges for Top 250 and Oscars, along the way we came to a conclusion that 25k ratings, which qualify a movie to be on the list, is much too small of a figure. IMDb page is too popular for those kind of numbers and this way movies that have no business being there end up on the Top 250 lists. I just had to sit and suffer through 1975 Turkish movie and an 6-hour long and slow Italian death. Those types of movies end up on the lists only because a relatively small number of people watch it and praise it. at least 50 or 75k ratings would be much more representative Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation Link : https://community-imdb.sprinklr.com/conversations/imdbcom/ratings-increase-the-number-of-ratings-required-for-the-top-250/69b56ac6200f762af6042d1f Title : Ratings: Increase the number of ratings required for the Top 250

Marco

3.3K Messages

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93.6K Points

This was recently mentioned by someone else as well: https://community-imdb.sprinklr.com/conversations/imdbcom/for-your-consideration-top-250-movies-100k-votes-minimum/6960e5376396e03dbb49c216

9 days ago

jwade

6 Messages

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110 Points

thank you for linking it, couldn't find it myself before posting

9 days ago

daniel_tanielian

Ratings: Top 250 Movies (100K votes minimum)

daniel_tanielian

NYVKE

Marco

jwade

Marco

jwade

Marco

jwade

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