IMDb changes rating method after 'unusual voting' on 'The Kashmir Files' page; Dir reacts

Anupam Kher was most recently seen in the latest Vivek Agnihotri directorial, The Kashmir Files, which has been doing exceedingly well at the box office since its release. In a recent development, IMDb, the website that carries ratings and reviews of films and series from across the world changed its method of calculating ratings of the film citing 'unusual voting activity'. The issue was then brought to the attention of the director, who called the move 'unethical' as he reacted to it. The Kashmir Files stars Anupam Kher alongside Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumar, Pallavi Joshi, Bhasha Sumbali and many others.

IMDb changes the method of calculating rating for The Kashmir Files

The IMDb page for The Kashmir currently shows a rating of 8.3/10, which is the film's 'weighted average' vote as per the website. The review and rating site informs users that 'unusual voting activity' was detected for the film, and to retain the reliability of the platform, an 'alternate weighting calculation' has been used. The website now shows a note to users that reads, "Our rating mechanism has detected unusual voting activity on this title. To preserve the reliability of our rating system, an alternate weighting calculation has been applied."

Have a look at the website here

What is 'weighted average'?

According to the IMDb site, here's what weighted average ratings mean:

"IMDb publishes weighted vote averages rather than raw data averages. The simplest way to explain it is that although we accept and consider all votes received by users, not all votes have the same impact (or ‘weight’) on the final rating. When unusual voting activity is detected, an alternate weighting calculation may be applied in order to preserve the reliability of our system. To ensure that our rating mechanism remains effective, we do not disclose the exact method used to generate the rating."

Vivek Agnihotri calls the move 'unusual and unethical' 

A Twitter user brought the latest development to the attention of the film's director and accused the rating platform of reducing the film's rating. The director then responded saying the move was 'unusual and unethical' and several fans and netizens rallied behind him in support.

Image: Instagram/@vivekagnihotri