Over the past decade, Rotten Tomatoes has established itself as one of the most respected websites for movie reviews – drawing in millions of users a year.
But it seems as though this digital heavyweight may have some competition from a rival platform that is gaining cult status among Gen Z.
Letterboxd describes itself as the ‘social network for film lovers’ in how it allows users to document all their favourite movies and share candid, snappy reviews.
Much like GoodReads and X, formerly known as Twitter, Letterboxd users can gain followers and also amass ‘likes’ on their reviews.
The website was first established by app developers Karl von Randow and Matthew Buchanan, both from Auckland, New Zealand, in 2011.
Pictured: Actor Jacob Elordi stars in Emerald Fennell’s fan favourite movie Saltburn, also starring Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike
One Letterboxd user recently joked: ‘A movie about how Jacob Elordi is simply so f***ing hot that his mere existence is enough to make someone legally insane.’
Since then, Letterboxd has attracted around 10m users – including legendary director Martin Scorsese and The Bear actress Ayo Edebiri.
Although the website was originally developed for film buffs to share their criticisms and recommendations, it has also proven to be a hit with Gen Z – who prefer to leave comical one-line summaries of current releases.
According to Mia Market, half of the platform’s users are under the age of 35 – and are typically aged between 16 and 24.
Describing Emerald Fennell’s hit movie Saltburn, one user joked: ‘A movie about how [actor] Jacob Elordi is simply so f***ing hot that his mere existence is enough to make someone legally insane.’
Referencing one of the film’s more infamous scenes, another added: ‘Does for bath tubs what Call Me By Your Name did for peaches.’
This scene also prompted Ayo Edebiri to flag a potential plot hole, writing: ‘My man’s doing all this but can’t eat runny eggs?’
Meanwhile, a third wrote: ‘Felix showing Saltburn around like he’s in 73 Questions with Vogue…’
What’s more, the recent rerelease of Mean Girls – which has divided critics – has also been the subject of light-hearted debate on Letterboxd too.
Pictured: Renee Rapp plays Regina George in the 2024 remake of the hit noughties movie Mean Girls
Although the website was originally developed for film buffs to share their criticisms and recommendations, it has also proven to be a hit with Gen Z – who prefer to leave comical one-line summaries of current releases
Highlighting some of the brands that appear in the film, one joked: ‘So much product placement this movie was probably free to make.’
Quoting one of the most famous lines, another added: ‘Stop trying to make Gen Z Mean Girls happen! It’s never going to happen!’
‘This is getting out of hand,’ a third said. ‘NOT EVERY FILM NEEDS A REMAKE, leave the classics alone for God’s sake.’
On top of this, Poor Things – starring Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo – has inspired some comical responses, with one dubbing it ‘the Barbie movie for mentally ill people’.
Emma Stone plays Bella Baxter in the new movie Poor Things about a woman who is brought back to life
Fans of the movie joked that Poor Things is like the ‘Barbie movie for mentally ill people’ and warned of its graphic nature at times
Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla and Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s new movie Priscilla
The new Sofia Coppola movie Priscilla has been met with widespread praise on the website Letterboxd
The critically acclaimed film is about a woman named Bella who has been brought back to life and runs off with a lawyer to explore the new world.
One viewer wrote: ‘The people who don’t like sex in movies are going to have an aneurysm when they see this.’
Along a similar line, another joked: ‘I saw this with my mom….’
Referencing a famous scene in the Twilight franchise, a third said: ‘Bella, where the hell have you been, loca?’
Killers of the Flower Moon director Martin Scorsese posted on Instagram three months ago to urge fans to follow him on Letterboxd
Ayo Edebiri, winner of the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for “The Bear,” poses in the press room at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards earlier this month
Last year, The Bear actress Ayo Edebiri shared a rave review of the poignant love story Past Lives
The new Sofia Coppola movie Priscilla has been met with widespread praise on the website.
Drawing comparisons to the recent Barbie movie, one said: ‘She’s everything, he’s just Elvis.’
‘Made me want a man and then never want to see one again for the rest of my life.’
Director Marin Scorsese is among the most high profile users of the website – boasting a cool 330,000 followers.
In November 2023, the Killers of the Flower Moon director created a list of ‘Companion Films’ – containing movies that share similar themes and inspirations.
Last year, The Bear actress Ayo Edebiri shared a rave review of the poignant love story Past Lives.
She wrote: ‘You know when a movie is directly made for you to feel ripped apart into 1 million pieces but that feeling alone makes you feel like a complete person and then you get to drive alone home and cry to Radiohead?
‘Yeah 🙂 yeah one of those ones for lil ol’ Edebiri (me!)’
The actress boasts 263,000 followers and counts Notting Hill, Babe, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Phantom Thread among her favourite movies.
The platform is called Letterboxd as a tribute to the founders’ love of widescreen films.
Letterboxing is when a widescreen movie is transferred to standard-width video formats while managing to preserve the original aspect ratio.
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