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'The Little Mermaid' allegedly getting negative scores amid 'unusual voting activity.' So IMDb breaks out a little ratings magic.
Image source: YouTube screenshot

'The Little Mermaid' allegedly getting negative scores amid 'unusual voting activity.' So IMDb breaks out a little ratings magic.

The new version of "The Little Mermaid" movie — which has seen some controversy after lead actress Halle Bailey said she expected backlash for her portrayal of the character Ariel, who was originally white, as well as for the rewriting of song lyrics to emphasize consent — allegedly has received negative viewer scores amid "unusual voting activity," the New York Post reported.

So, the Internet Movie Database simply changed its rating system for "The Little Mermaid,” the Post said, adding that the movie has a 7/10 rating on the site.

What are the details?

“Our rating mechanism has detected unusual voting activity on this title. To preserve the reliability of our rating system, an alternate weighting calculation has been applied,” a note on the site says.

Breaking things down, as of Thursday:

  • Just over 30% of U.S. viewers gave it the lowest score — a 1 — while just over 26% gave it the highest score, a 10.
  • In the U.K., nearly 31% of viewers gave it a 1 while 15.4% gave it a 10.
  • In Canada, a whopping 42.4% of viewers gave it a 1 while 17.4% gave it a 10.
  • In Brazil, nearly 34% of viewers gave it a 1 while 24.3% gave it a 10.
  • And in Mexico, just over 33% of viewers gave it a 1 while 14.5% gave it a 10.

No average score for any aforementioned country reaches a 7/10 — yet that's the average score "The Little Mermaid" is given.

According to the Post, IMDb notes on its FAQ page: “Although we accept and consider all votes received by users, not all votes have the same impact (or ‘weight’) on the final rating.”

The statement adds, “When unusual voting activity is detected, an alternate weighting calculation may be applied in order to preserve the reliability of our system," the paper reported.

The Post added that IMDb said it won’t disclose how the new calculation will generate the rating to ensure it “remains effective.”

The paper said it reached out to IMDb for comment.

Anything else?

The Post, citing IMDB’s Box Office Mojo, said “The Little Mermaid” is at the top of the box office, grossing $209 million worldwide since opening Friday.

The Little Mermaid | Official Traileryoutu.be

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