Metascore

Metascore is a numerical rating that summarizes critical reception by aggregating reviews from multiple outlets into a single score on a 0 to 100 scale. The term is most closely associated with Metacritic, a review aggregator founded in 1999, which collects professional reviews across films, television, video games, and music, converting them into standardized scores.

Calculation is based on mapping individual critics’ reviews, regardless of their original scale, to a common 0–100 framework and combining them with source-specific weights to produce a metascore. The exact weighting algorithm is proprietary, but the intention is to reflect the influence of each outlet in forming a consensus. In addition to the metascore, Metacritic provides a user score derived from crowd ratings. Some other platforms also display metascores on product pages.

Uses and interpretation: A higher metascore generally indicates more favorable critical reception, while a lower score suggests less favorable reviews. The score is intended as a quick, at-a-glance summary for works such as films, TV shows, video games, and music albums. Display is usually a numeric badge on the page, sometimes with a color cue to signal positive, mixed, or negative sentiment.

Limitations: The metascore aggregates a subset of reviews and depends on the selection and weighting of outlets, which can introduce bias. It may obscure divergent opinions among critics and does not substitute for reading individual reviews. As a convenience metric, it should be interpreted cautiously.

See also: Metacritic; Rotten Tomatoes; OpenCritic.