the buzz log

"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...