CinemaScore


CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data.

Background

Ed Mintz, who majored in math at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and founded dental billing software company Dentametics, with wife Rona attended The Cheap Detective in June 1978. He had read a positive review by a movie critic but disliked the film despite being a fan of Neil Simon, and heard another disappointed attendee wanting to hear the opinions of ordinary people, not critics. Mintz had not worked with polls or the entertainment industry, but decided to use his math and computer skills for a business surveying the opinions of hundreds of film viewers.
A Yom Kippur donation card with tabs inspired the survey cards given to audience members. The company conducts exit polls of audiences who have seen a film in theaters, asking them to rate the film and specifying what drew them to the film. Its results are published in Entertainment Weekly. CinemaScore also conducts surveys to determine audience interest in renting films on video, breaking the demographic down by age and sex and passing along information to video companies such as Fox Video Corporation.
After employees of Mintz's dental company tested the survey cards at theaters, polling began in 1979. CinemaScore at first reported its findings to consumers, including a newspaper column and a radio show. After 20th Century Fox approached the company in 1989, it began selling the data to studios instead. By the mid-1980s AMC Theatres used CinemaScore data when choosing films for its locations. A website was launched by CinemaScore in 1999, after three years' delay in which the president sought sponsorship from magazines and video companies. Brad Peppard was president of CinemaScore Online from 1999 to 2002. The website included a database of nearly 2,000 feature films and the audiences' reactions to them. Prior to the launch, CinemaScore results had been published in Las Vegas Review-Journal and Reno Gazette-Journal. CinemaScore's expansion to the Internet included a weekly email subscription for cinephiles to keep up with reports of audience reactions.
In 1999, CinemaScore was rating approximately 140 films a year, including 98–99% of major studio releases. For each film, employees polled 400–500 moviegoers in three of CinemaScore's 15 sites, which included the cities Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Dallas, Atlanta, Tampa, Phoenix, and Coral Springs.
In the summer of 2002, CinemaScore reported that the season had the biggest collective grade since 1995. In the summer of 2000, 25 out of 32 films received either an A or B grade. Twenty-six of the summer of 2001's 30 films got similar grades, while 32 of the summer of 2002's 34 films got similar grades, the latter being the highest ratio in a decade.
Since July 2014, CinemaScore reports its results also on Twitter.
Usually, to maintain comparable sample sizes, only films that open in more than 1,500 screens are polled and reported on CinemaScore's website and social media. The distributor of a film that opens in fewer screens can also contract with CinemaScore for a private survey, whose result would be disclosed only to the client. Some of these privately contracted surveys' results have nevertheless been publicly touted, such as the "A+" ratings for films including Courageous and A Question of Faith.

Rating

CinemaScore describes itself as "the industry leader in measuring movie appeal". There are 35 to 45 teams of CinemaScore representatives present in 25 large cities across North America. Each Friday, representatives in five randomly chosen cities give opening-day audiences a small survey card. The card asks for age, gender, a grade for the film, whether they would rent or buy the film on DVD or Blu-ray, why they chose the film and whether or not they felt the film lined up with its marketing. CinemaScore typically receives about 400 cards per film; the company estimates a 65% response rate and 6% margin of error.
An overall grade between "A+" and "F" is calculated as the average of the grades given by responders. In this case, grades other than "F" are qualified with a plus, minus or neither. The ratings are divided by gender and age groups. Film studios and other subscribers receive the data at about 11 p.m. Pacific Time. CinemaScore publishes letter grades to the public on social media, and although the detailed data are proprietary, the grades become widely shared in news media and the film business. Subsequent advertisements for highly ranked films often cite their CinemaScore grades. Studios use the demographic data when marketing films. A studio might hope that a high grade helps the box office of a film with a disappointing opening weekend, or adjust a future film's marketing based on survey results for one with a similar demographic.
CinemaScore pollster Dede Gilmore reported the trend in 1993, "Most movies get easily a B-plus. I think people come wanting the entertainment. They have high expectations. They're more lenient with their grades. But as do it more and more, they get to be stronger critics". In 1993, films that were graded with an A included Scent of a Woman, A Few Good Men and Falling Down. Films graded with a B included Sommersby and Untamed Heart. A C-grade film for the year was Body of Evidence. As opening-night audiences are presumably more enthusiastic about a film than ordinary patrons, a "C" grade from them is – according to the Los Angeles Times – "bad news, the equivalent of a failing grade". According to Ed Mintz, "A's generally are good, B's generally are shaky, and C's are terrible. D's and F's, they shouldn't have made the movie, or they promoted it funny and the absolute wrong crowd got into it". Horror films consistently score lower; The Conjurings "A−" was the first time a horror film scored better than "B+". CinemaScore's Harold Mintz said that "An F in a horror film is equivalent to a B− in a comedy".
An "A+" typically predicts a successful box office. From 1982 to August 2011, only 52 films received the top grade, including seven Academy Award for Best Picture winners. From 2000 to January 2020, there were 53 movies with "A+"., about 90 films have received "A+".
From 2004 to 2014, those rated "A+" and "A" had multiples of 4.8 and 3.6, respectively, while C-rated films' total revenue was 2.5 times their opening weekend. Ed Mintz cited Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise as the "two stars, it doesn't matter how bad the film is, they can pull up".
, 22 films have received an "F" grade. Vulture wrote that besides horror,
Vulture cited as examples of such F-graded films Steven Soderbergh's Solaris with George Clooney, Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly with Brad Pitt, and Darren Aronofsky's mother! with Jennifer Lawrence.
In an essay for The Hollywood Reporter, Martin Scorsese strongly criticized this type of approach by writing: "The brutal judgmentalism that has made opening-weekend grosses into a bloodthirsty spectator sport seems to have encouraged an even more brutal approach to film reviewing. I'm talking about market research firms like CinemaScore . They have everything to do with the movie business and absolutely nothing to do with either the creation or the intelligent viewing of film. The filmmaker is reduced to a content manufacturer and the viewer to an unadventurous consumer." Ed Mintz rejected being connected to Rotten Tomatoes, and defended CinemaScore methodology of polling select audiences on the opening night, to see if the film meets the expectations of the people who most want to see it. He further defended the accuracy of their data and the correlation to box office results.
CinemaScore's forecasts for box-office receipts based on the surveys are, according to the Los Angeles Times, "surprisingly accurate" as "most of picks...are in the ballpark", in 2009 correctly predicting the success of The Hangover and the failure of Land of the Lost. Hollywood executives are divided on CinemaScore's accuracy. Rob Moore, formerly of Paramount Pictures, said Ed Mintz had an "absolute connection with the pulse of moviegoers". Jeff Goldstein of Warner Bros. described CinemaScore as "essential... for the entertainment industry", and Dan Fellman of Warner said that the studio discontinued its own exit polling because of CinemaScore. Another Hollywood executive said "It's not always right, but it's a pretty good indicator. I rely on it". Another said that competitor PostTrak was "much better...more thorough and in-depth".
CinemaScore also conducted surveys for product placements, Anheuser-Busch, and Las Vegas casinos.

List of "A+" films

, a total of 132 films have received an A+ rating from American audiences polled by CinemaScore.
CountTitleDirectorYear
1Kramer vs. KramerRobert Benton1979
2The Black StallionCarroll Ballard1979
3The Empire Strikes BackIrvin Kershner1980
4FameAlan Parker1980
5Ordinary PeopleRobert Redford1980
6The Elephant ManDavid Lynch1980
7The Jazz SingerRichard Fleischer1980
8Raiders of the Lost ArkSteven Spielberg1981
9Superman IIRichard Lester1981
10This Is ElvisMalcolm Leo1981
10This Is ElvisAndrew Solt1981
11On Golden PondMark Rydell1981
12E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialSteven Spielberg1982
13GandhiRichard Attenborough1982
14Rocky IIISylvester Stallone1982
15Return of the JediRichard Marquand1983
16Star Trek IV: The Voyage HomeLeonard Nimoy1986
17The Princess BrideRob Reiner1987
18Die HardJohn McTiernan1988
19Dead Poets SocietyPeter Weir1989
20Driving Miss DaisyBruce Beresford1989
21A Dry White SeasonEuzhan Palcy1989
22Lean on MeJohn G. Avildsen1989
23Lethal Weapon 2Richard Donner1989
24When Harry Met Sally...Rob Reiner1989
25Dances with WolvesKevin Costner1990
26Beauty and the BeastGary Trousdale1991
26Beauty and the BeastKirk Wise1991
27Terminator 2: Judgment DayJames Cameron1991
28AladdinJohn Musker1992
28AladdinRon Clements1992
29A Few Good MenRob Reiner1992
30The FugitiveAndrew Davis1993
31Homeward Bound: The Incredible JourneyDuwayne Dunham1993
32The Joy Luck ClubWayne Wang1993
33Schindler's ListSteven Spielberg1993
34Forrest GumpRobert Zemeckis1994
35Iron WillCharles Haid1994
36The Lion KingRoger Allers1994
36The Lion KingRob Minkoff1994
37Mr. Holland's OpusStephen Herek1995
38Soul FoodGeorge Tillman Jr.1997
39Star Wars George Lucas1997
40TitanicJames Cameron1997
41MulanBarry Cook1998
41MulanTony Bancroft1998
42Music of the HeartWes Craven1999
43Toy Story 2John Lasseter1999
44Finding ForresterGus Van Sant2000
45Remember the TitansBoaz Yakin2000
46Monsters, Inc.Pete Docter2001
47Antwone FisherDenzel Washington2002
48DrumlineCharles Stone III2002
49Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsChris Columbus2002
50Finding NemoAndrew Stanton2003
51The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingPeter Jackson2003
52The Passion of the ChristMel Gibson2004
53The IncrediblesBrad Bird2004
54The Polar ExpressRobert Zemeckis2004
55RayTaylor Hackford2004
56DreamerJohn Gatins2005
57Diary of a Mad Black WomanDarren Grant2005
58Cinderella ManRon Howard2005
59The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeAndrew Adamson2005
60Akeelah and the BeeDoug Atchison2006
61Why Did I Get Married?Tyler Perry2007
62UpPete Docter2009
63The Blind SideJohn Lee Hancock2009
64The King's SpeechTom Hooper2010
65TangledNathan Greno2010
65TangledByron Howard2010
66Soul SurferSean McNamara2011
67CourageousAlex Kendrick2011
68Dolphin TaleCharles Martin Smith2011
69The HelpTate Taylor2011
70The AvengersJoss Whedon2012
71ArgoBen Affleck2012
7242Brian Helgeland2013
73Instructions Not IncludedEugenio Derbez2013
74The Best Man HolidayMalcolm D. Lee2013
75FrozenChris Buck2013
75FrozenJennifer Lee2013
76Mandela: Long Walk to FreedomJustin Chadwick2013
77Lone SurvivorPeter Berg2013
78America: Imagine the World Without HerDinesh D'Souza2014
78America: Imagine the World Without HerJohn Sullivan2014
79The Good LiePhilippe Falardeau2014
80The Imitation GameMorten Tyldum2014
81SelmaAva DuVernay2014
82American SniperClint Eastwood2014
83War RoomAlex Kendrick2015
84Un gallo con muchos huevosGabriel Riva Palacio Alatriste2015
84Un gallo con muchos huevosRodolfo Riva Palacio Alatriste2015
85WoodlawnErwin Brothers2015
86Miracles from HeavenPatricia Riggen2016
87Queen of KatweMira Nair2016
88Hidden FiguresTheodore Melfi2016
89Patriots DayPeter Berg2016
90The Case for ChristJon Gunn2017
91Girls TripMalcolm D. Lee2017
92A Question of FaithKevan Otto2017
93WonderStephen Chbosky2017
94CocoLee Unkrich2017
95Black PantherRyan Coogler2018
96I Can Only ImagineErwin Brothers2018
97Love, SimonGreg Berlanti2018
98Incredibles 2Brad Bird2018
99The Hate U GiveGeorge Tillman Jr.2018
100Green BookPeter Farrelly2018
101Spider-Man: Into the Spider-VerseBob Persichetti2018
101Spider-Man: Into the Spider-VersePeter Ramsey2018
101Spider-Man: Into the Spider-VerseRodney Rothman2018
102UnplannedChuck Konzelman2019
102UnplannedCary Solomon2019
103Avengers: EndgameAnthony Russo2019
103Avengers: EndgameJoe Russo2019
104The Peanut Butter FalconTyler Nilson2019
104The Peanut Butter FalconMichael Schwartz2019
105OvercomerAlex Kendrick2019
106HarrietKasi Lemmons2019
107Ford v FerrariJames Mangold2019
108Just MercyDestin Daniel Cretton2019
109Summer of SoulQuestlove2021
110Show Me the FatherRick Altizer2021
111Spider-Man: No Way HomeJon Watts2021
112Sing 2Garth Jennings2021
113American UnderdogErwin Brothers2021
114Top Gun: MaverickJoseph Kosinski2022
115The Woman KingGina Prince-Bythewood2022
116TillChinonye Chukwu2022
117Jesus RevolutionJon Erwin2023
117Jesus RevolutionBrent McCorkle2023
118Sound of FreedomAlejandro Monteverde2023
119Taylor Swift: The Eras TourSam Wrench2023
120Renaissance: A Film by BeyoncéBeyoncé2023
121Ordinary AngelsJon Gunn2024
122Unsung HeroRichard Ramsey2024
122Unsung HeroJoel Smallbone2024
123Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum TrotJoshua Weigel2024
124The ForgeAlex Kendrick2024
125Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve StoryIan Bonhôte2024
125Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve StoryPeter Ettedgui2024
126White BirdMarc Forster2024
127Bob Trevino Likes ItTracie Laymon2025
128The King of KingsSeong-ho Jang2025
129Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie Ryan Crego2025
130Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a ShowgirlTaylor Swift2025
131Sarah's OilCyrus Nowrasteh2025
132Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody AffairQuentin Tarantino2025

, two directors have made the list four times: Jon Erwin, and Alex Kendrick. Three directors have made the list three times: Steven Spielberg, Rob Reiner, and Andrew Erwin. The following directors have appeared on the list twice: James Cameron, Robert Zemeckis, Pete Docter, Malcolm D. Lee, Peter Berg, Brad Bird, George Tillman Jr., and Jon Gunn.
Between 2011 and 2024, 19 of the 59 films to receive an A+ Cinemascore were either faith-based or specifically aimed at conservative audiences. In 2023, eight films achieved the top score, six of which targeted right-wing audiences; the other two films were concert fan films from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.