Rotten Tomatoes just dropped a new mobile app — and if you’ve ever lost an afternoon rating movies and building watchlists on Letterboxd, the vibes here will feel very familiar.
Available now on iOS (and coming soon to Android), the interesting thing about the app is that it’s not just about checking the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer anymore. The app wants to be a full-fledged discovery and social hub for movie and TV lovers, with features that let you track, rate, review, and share — all in one place. In short: Letterboxd, meet your legacy cousin.
Needless to say, this launch is a big swing for Rotten Tomatoes, a popular site that’s been around for over 25 years and is best known for aggregating critic and audience scores. The new app, though, goes much further. You can now build out a custom profile, create personal watchlists, leave your own ratings and reviews, and follow others for curated recs. There’s even a reaction system called “Tomojis” (tomato + emojis) that lets users emote their takes on what they’re watching.
And yes, all the usual RT staples are here — from the Tomatometer and audience scores to critic blurbs, trailers, celeb interviews, and entertainment news, all of which is wrapped in a smooth, mobile-friendly interface that’s clearly designed to keep you inside the app for as long as possible.
Also new is aRTi, the Rotten Tomatoes in-app generative AI search assistant (currently in beta). It’s built to help you find where a movie or show is streaming, dig up scores and reviews, and even offer personalized recommendations. Whether that ends up being more useful than a quick Google remains to be seen, but it’s another sign Rotten Tomatoes is betting big on turning the app into a daily habit.
In addition to following friends, critics, and influencers, the roadmap for the app also includes features like video reactions and upgraded reviewer profiles for the most active users. If you’ve ever wished you could turn your Rotten Tomatoes profile into a little media diary, it feels like that’s essentially what they’re building. There’s even a badge system that adds a bit of gamified credibility to fan reviews.
All told, the new app feels like Rotten Tomatoes’ long-awaited answer to the personalization and community that platforms like Letterboxd have mastered. It still leans on its biggest strength, those iconic scores, but now wraps them in a more interactive mobile experience. For now, here’s my takeaway: While Letterboxd still reigns as the go-to for film obsessives and deep-cut commentary, Rotten Tomatoes’ new app feels like a more mainstream, streamlined alternative — designed for casual fans who want discovery, scores, and a social feed all in one convenient place.
