Gaming Netflix Ratings?

Nom du Keyboard writes "Not for the first time, I've noticed a new film that hasn't yet even reached the theaters, yet has hundreds of positive votes and/or reviews recorded on Netflix. This time the movie is Inkheart. For a movie that doesn't even hit the theaters until January 23, it already has 428 votes and a rating of 4.3 (out of 5) on Netflix. Seems more than a bit fraudulent to me. Also, it has a review that doesn't even review the movie, but instead says the books are great, therefore the movie should be too. Does the word 'shills' come to mind? With millions spent to promote a movie, are a few hundred of that going to phony voters? Or have that many people actually seen the film and just can't wait to rush home and log onto Netflix to vote? Just what is Netflix's responsibility here to provide honest ratings?"

Comments

Not to disagree with your conspiracy...

[Anonymous Coward]

But it isn't rare for there to be advanced screenings of a movie a week or two in advance of the public release date.

I wonder if we'll ever see movie cinemas with terminals or similar at them that let you rate a movie as you walk out after seeing it.

Re:Not to disagree with your conspiracy...

[LatencyKills]

Back in college I somehow ended up screening a number of films before release (I think the process was something like a guy on campus asking if I'd like free tickets to a new movie). Before the movie there would be a quick spiel about the film not yet being released and that our feedback was very important, then they'd show the film, then they'd hand out a sheet of questions for us to answer. I recall that I saw Fletch 2 that way, and that the ending I saw in the screening was very different from the one I saw later in the theater. I also remember seeing a Judge Reinhold movie to wretched that everyone trashed it on the sheets, and I don't think it even came out in the theaters. It might have been released direct to video.