IMDB Top 250 list

[superstar911]

Hey

I was just wondering how the IMDB Top 250 movies list works, as far as I could gather it was the 250 movies with the highest user voted rating on the database.

However the movie listed #250 on the list has a score of 7.9 while the movie (500) Days of Summer has a rating of 8.0 yet is not on the list, which led me to begin questioning the factors involved, am I overlooking something? How is a movie with an 8.0 rating not on a list that includes movies rated 7.9? Not that it really matters, I was just curious.

Thanks

[Misawa]

Yes, it doesn't mate sense. Not only are some of hte films on there no way deserving, but it's changed often by people at IMDb who aren't happy with particular ratings. It took years for The Shawshank Redemption to claim #1 spot, yet it has always been the highest rated movie on there. The people at IMDb justdidn't want The Godfather dethroned. Basically, don't take notice of any films on there made after 2000 for the most part.

[The Don]

Also you get groups of people who all either hate or love a film so they give them ridicoulous ratings and loads of people join in, so loads of people who dislike a film will all rate it 1/10 basically saying its the worst film they have seen and then thousands of other people who love a film will all join in and rate it 10 (perfect) so the ratings are highly inacurate and therefore the top 250 are aswell.

[Neversoft]

Its because IMDb only count the ratings of active users in the Top 250 so that people can't just create new accounts to tip the scales of justice and influence the scores. I am not sure what Misawa said is entirely correct, since Shawshank was second despite having the highest rating because so many people had rated it but then never visited the website again, so those ratings did not contribute to its place in the Top 250. I am sure they have this in their FAQ.

[Art]

Rotten Tomatoes ftw!

I noticed on IMDb, for example, when a new film gains a mass following they all try to get it to #1, rating the film 10/10 whilst voting all the other films near the top 250 a 1/10.