Russian movie platform Kinopoisk withheld user ratings for The Last Warrior: Kolobok on Aug. 6 following a massive review-bombing campaign by viewers. Over 90 percent of the thousands of ratings posted overnight were sharply negative, submitted before the fairytale film even held its first theater screenings.
Viewers launched the online boycott on social networks after the Association of Theater Owners asked Russian cinema chains to delay the unofficial premiere of Spider-Man: Brand New Day until Aug. 20. The request made the new part of the fairytale series the country's main blockbuster for the next two weeks.
Kinopoisk Rating System Response
Kinopoisk said its system flagged the flashmob as abnormal activity and excluded the scores from the official rating. The platform stated that it does not delete negative ratings, but insisted that scores must reflect real audience opinions formed after watching the movie.
The aggregator noted that an average rating for the movie will appear in the coming days. It remains unclear whether the system will count the negative ratings or treat them as abnormal activity.
