How Ranked scores work.

1. The lane sets the band

Every film starts with a lane. Each lane owns a band of scores, so every all-timer scores above every film in Really good, and so on down.

2. Head-to-heads set the place

Inside its lane, a new film meets films already there, one head-to-head at a time. Tap the one that goes higher, or say the two are too close to call. Each answer halves the part of the lane the film could still go in, so it takes 5 head-to-heads at most (6 in a lane of more than 31 titles), and none at all in an empty lane.

3. The place becomes the score

The films in a lane are spread evenly across its band, in the order your head-to-heads put them. The top film in Really good scores near 4.4, the bottom near 3.5, and the rest fall in between.

Scores are shown to one decimal and never round out of their lane, so a film you called really good never reads as an all-timer.

4. Scores switch on at 10 films

With only a handful of films, one more can reshuffle everything. So your scores appear once 10 films are on your list. Until then, you see your order.

5. The Ranked score needs 10 people

On a film’s page you see three numbers side by side: your score, your friends’ scores and the Ranked score. The Ranked score is the average of the scores people’s lists give that film. It appears once 10 people have placed it, so one person’s taste never passes for a settled number.

Until then, the film page shows how many of the 10 have placed it so far.

6. Time is the test

Re-rank a film whenever your mind changes, and its score follows its new place. A film still at the top after a hundred more have joined it is an all-timer. One that slides was a good night.

Questions

Do I ever type a score?

No. You choose a lane and answer head-to-heads. The score is read off the film’s place on your list.

Why don’t I see scores straight away?

Film scores switch on once 10 films are on your list, and show scores once 10 shows are on yours. Before that, there are too few for a place to mean much.

Does a 5.0 mean the film beat everything?

No. A 5.0 sits at the top of your all-timers. It does not prove the film faced every other film, and several places can round to the same score.

How many people does the Ranked score need?

Ten. The Ranked score is the average of the scores people’s lists give a title, and it appears once 10 people have placed it. Until then, the film page shows how many of the 10 have placed it so far.

Can a film’s score change without me doing anything?

Only a little, as other films join its lane and the places spread out. Its order against the films around it only changes when you re-rank.

Are films and shows scored together?

No. Films and shows each have a list of their own, so a film is only ever compared with films and a show with shows.