Film rating glossary
What each number and label on a Celluloid page means, and how it differs from the scores on other sites. 13 terms, each linked to the page that defines it. Outside sources checked 22 October 2026.
The Tomatometer is the share of critics who liked a title. The Metascore is a weighted average of critics’ scores. The Celluloid Score averages up to four labelled inputs, including the Metascore, IMDb and Letterboxd ratings and our editor’s rating, and leaves out audience sentiment. Each answers a different question, so read them side by side.
Celluloid terms
- Celluloid Score
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Celluloid’s own 0–100 composite. It averages the available Celluloid Editorial Rating, Metascore, Letterboxd rating (×20) and IMDb rating (×10), with missing inputs left out rather than counted as zero. It is published only for released titles with at least two real inputs.
Source: Celluloid scoring policy · Worked examples
- Celluloid Editorial Rating
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The named editor’s own 0–100 assessment of a title. It is one person’s rating, not a percentage of several critics, and it is never derived from an aggregator.
Source: How our scores work
- Audience snapshot
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A 0–100 indication of audience sentiment shown on title pages. It is displayed for comparison and excluded from the Celluloid Score, because sample size and provenance vary by market.
Source: Celluloid scoring policy
- Celluloid Pick
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A title with a Celluloid Score of 90 or more. Recommended covers 60–89 and Not Recommended is below 60. These tiers are Celluloid’s labels, not Rotten Tomatoes’ Certified Fresh.
Source: Celluloid scoring policy · Browse the Picks
- Review Pending
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The title is catalogued but has no Celluloid Score yet. It is not a zero or a fail: it means the two-input floor and editorial verification have not been met.
Source: Celluloid scoring policy
- Critics roundup
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A summary of other critics’ published reviews. Celluloid has not screened the title for a roundup, gives it no rating, and marks it up as an article rather than a review. A festival review roundup does the same for festival coverage.
Source: Celluloid editorial policy
- In-depth review
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A long-form review based on a direct viewing, covering performance, craft and who the film is not for. It carries the editor’s rating.
Ratings from other sites
- Metascore
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Metacritic’s 0–100 score for a film, show, game or album. Metacritic assigns scores to reviews from a selected group of critics and publishes their weighted average.
Source: Metacritic: about us
- Tomatometer
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Rotten Tomatoes’ score: the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a film or TV show. It measures how many critics liked a title, not how much.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes: about
- IMDb rating
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The weighted average of the 1–10 ratings that registered IMDb users give a title. IMDb updates the average several times a day rather than with every vote.
Source: IMDb ratings FAQ
- Letterboxd rating
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The average of Letterboxd members’ star ratings, on a scale of half a star to five stars. Celluloid multiplies it by 20 to put it on a 0–100 scale.
Source: Letterboxd FAQ
Age ratings
- BBFC age rating
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The UK classification for films and videos (U, PG, 12A, 12, 15, 18 and R18), set by the British Board of Film Classification against its published guidelines.
Source: BBFC classification guidelines
- MPA rating
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The US film rating (G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17) given by the Motion Picture Association’s Classification and Rating Administration, as guidance for parents.
Source: MPA: film ratings
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