the buzz log
Critical Time For Critics?
"Box office data this year suggests that filmgoers seem to be having a great time at the multiplexes. The critics, by contrast, may be shopping around for a new line of work."
—Peter Bart, "Film reviewers, moviegoers disagree," Variety, March 15, 2007
Bart's short think piece poses an interesting question. Namely, do moviegoers still care about movie reviews? Searches on "reviews" are up 26% over the last month, but that general term encompasses all sorts of different critical viewpoints.
Digging deeper, we found searches on "movie reviews" are up 18% over the last 30 days, which indicates film buffs do consider what others have to say. Whether these intrepid searchers act upon what they read is another story.
Following this line, we wondered which movies currently inspire the most "review" searches. Were the critically lambasted "Ghost Rider," "300," and "Wild Hogs" totally ignored by folks searching for movie reviews? Judging from the top 20 movie review searches, movie goers aren't listening to critical outcry...
Hollywood Hides Turkeys
If you can't please 'em, ban 'em! That seems to be the new rule in Hollywood, anyway. Now more than ever, studios are releasing films without giving critics their customary sneak peak.
Bad movie buzz encircles August like a Burmese python. This past week, it was "Material Girls" and "Snakes on a Plane." The week before, critics didn't see "Zoom" or "Pulse" in advance. And that's not mentioning "Benchwarmers," "BloodRayne," "Larry the Cable Guy," "Ultraviolet," "See No Evil," "Doogal," and many more.
It doesn't take a critic to see what these films have in common—with the exception of "Snakes," they're all crap. But keeping crap hidden under a veil of negative buzz in hopes the public might accidentally step in it...well, that's pretty lame, even for the town that gave us "Grandma's Boy."
Of course, studio execs would sooner abolish sequels than give up the right to hide their turkeys. But what say you, the moviegoer? Do you read reviews before plunking down your cash or do you walk into a theater like Samuel L. Jackson walks onto a plane—ready for anything? Leave a comment and let us know.
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford 400 | Breakout! |
| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
| 3 | Jordan Chandler | 3481% |
| 4 | Evan Chandler | 2322% |
| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +340 | 1290 |
| 2 | NFL | +489 | 670 |
| 3 | Jennifer Lopez | +451 | 515 |
| 4 | New Moon | -67 | 250 |
| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.