What Is the Rotten Tomatoes Score for There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood holds a Critics' Tomatometer score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 245 professional reviews with an average rating of 8 Updated...

There Will Be Blood holds a Critics’ Tomatometer score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 245 professional reviews with an average rating of 8.5 out of 10. This exceptional critical score reflects widespread recognition of Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film as a masterwork of American cinema.

The film, starring Daniel Day-Lewis in a career-defining performance, earned near-universal praise from reviewers who recognized its ambitious scope and artistic execution.

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Beyond the critical consensus, the film earned an Audience Score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, demonstrating that the film connected not just with professional critics but also with general viewers.

This gap of only five percentage points between critics and audiences is relatively narrow, suggesting that the film’s artistic merits translated across both expert and casual viewers.

For context, many critically acclaimed films struggle to maintain this kind of audience approval—some cerebral dramas might score in the 90s with critics but drop into the 60s or 70s with general audiences.

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How Does a 91% Critics Score Reflect There Will Be Blood’s Critical Reception?

A score of 91% on the Tomatometer represents exceptional critical consensus, meaning the vast majority of professional reviewers considered the film a success.

In Rotten Tomatoes’ system, a score above 75% qualifies as “Certified Fresh,” and There Will Be Blood far exceeds this threshold. The 245 reviews underlying this score span major publications, independent critics, and film festivals worldwide, all contributing to this aggregate assessment.

The 8.5/10 average rating indicates that critics weren’t just approving the film—they were actively championing it as something significant. To understand what this means in context, consider that many commercially successful blockbusters rarely achieve scores above 70%.

Even well-regarded franchises might hit 85%, making 91% a rare achievement. Films that reach into the 90s are typically those that critics view as genuinely important contributions to cinema—not just well-executed entertainment, but works with something meaningful to say.

Anderson’s ambition in crafting an epic examination of American entrepreneurship and greed resonated across the critical community. The critical praise centered on several aspects: Day-Lewis’s transformative performance as oil magnate Daniel Plainview, Anderson’s meticulous directing, and the film’s exploration of capitalism and morality in early 20th-century California.

However, critics also noted the film’s challenging length (158 minutes), slow pacing in sections, and philosophical density—elements that don’t diminish critical appreciation but do represent legitimate constraints that some viewers find difficult.

How Does a 91% Critics Score Reflect There Will Be Blood's Critical Reception?

What Does the 86% Audience Score Tell Us About Viewer Reception?

The 86% Audience Score indicates that the majority of viewers who watched the film and rated it on rotten Tomatoes enjoyed the experience, though this score is notably lower than the critics’ assessment.

This five-point gap is significant because it suggests a portion of the general audience found the film challenging or demanding. While critics viewed the slow-burn narrative and philosophical questioning as strengths, some viewers rated it lower for precisely those reasons.

one important limitation to consider: Rotten Tomatoes audience scores are self-selected. People who take time to rate films on the platform often skew toward cinephiles and engaged moviegoers rather than representing a true random sample of everyone who saw the film.

This means the 86% might actually overrepresent positive reception compared to the general population.

A casual viewer who walked into a theater expecting conventional entertainment might have rated the film much lower after sitting through two hours and 38 minutes of methodical character study. Additionally, there’s a temporal component worth noting. There Will Be Blood was released in 2007 to a limited theatrical run before wider expansion.

Some audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes came years later, after the film’s reputation had solidified as a modern classic. This means audience scores can shift over time as a film’s cultural standing evolves. Films initially rated lower sometimes climb as audiences revisit them with adjusted expectations.

Rotten Tomatoes Scores Comparison – There Will Be Blood vs. Similar FilmsThere Will Be Blood91%The Master87%Boogie Nights88%The Godfather97%2001: A Space Odyssey94%Source: Rotten Tomatoes

How Does There Will Be Blood Compare to Other Paul Thomas Anderson Films on Rotten Tomatoes?

There Will Be Blood ranks as one of Anderson’s highest-rated films on Rotten Tomatoes. While Anderson’s acclaimed work with The Master (2012) earned a 87% critics score and Boogie Nights (1997) scored 88%, There Will Be Blood’s 91% places it among his most critically celebrated work.

This consistency across Anderson’s filmography—multiple films in the 85-91% range—speaks to his recognition as one of contemporary cinema’s most important directors. Comparing across different eras of Anderson’s work reveals interesting patterns.

His earlier films like Hardboiled (1993) and Fargo (1996) established his reputation, but starting with Boogie Nights, he achieved critical consensus in the upper 80s and 90s.

This trajectory suggests that critics have maintained high regard for Anderson’s work even as his style has evolved, from ensemble pieces to deeply introspective character studies. The consistency itself is notable—many acclaimed directors experience critical fluctuation, but Anderson’s scores remain elevated across different periods and approaches.

The comparison also matters for viewers trying to navigate Anderson’s catalog. If you’re drawn to his highest-rated work, There Will Be Blood sits at the pinnacle of critical estimation. However, critical scores don’t always correlate with accessibility.

Some of Anderson’s lower-rated works might actually be more immediately engaging for viewers new to his style, making the critical consensus less relevant for first-time viewers than for those already familiar with his approach.

How Does There Will Be Blood Compare to Other Paul Thomas Anderson Films on Rotten Tomatoes?

How to Interpret Rotten Tomatoes Scores When Deciding Whether to Watch

Rotten Tomatoes scores function best as indicators of whether critics found a film worthwhile, not as predictors of whether you personally will enjoy it. There Will Be Blood’s 91% and 86% scores tell you that the overwhelming majority of both critics and viewers found it rewarding, but they don’t account for individual preferences.

Someone who dislikes slow-paced narratives or ambitious artistic films should approach this score with skepticism about their own experience. A practical approach involves reading actual reviews rather than relying solely on the score. The 245 reviews comprising the 91% represent diverse critical perspectives.

You might find that critics focusing on performance and direction were most enthusiastic, while those discussing pacing had more measured takes.

Reading a few representative reviews gives much more useful information about whether the film aligns with your specific interests than the aggregate score alone. Many Rotten Tomatoes pages provide excerpts from reviews, allowing you to quickly sample the critical conversation. It’s also worth considering what drove ratings among the 14% of critics who didn’t approve.

These dissenting voices sometimes highlight legitimate concerns about a film’s approach or execution. For There Will Be Blood, dissenters typically cited the demanding length and philosophical abstraction as reasons for reservation. If you know these elements frustrate you in other films, that information matters more than knowing 91% approved.

The Limitations of Rotten Tomatoes Scores for Cult and Challenging Films

Rotten Tomatoes’ binary fresh/rotten system, while useful for measuring consensus, can misrepresent reception of challenging or divisive films. There Will Be Blood isn’t genuinely divisive—the high scores across both critics and audiences indicate genuine broad approval. However, the system struggles with films where appreciation deepens over time.

A film that receives moderate reviews initially but becomes increasingly celebrated as a modern classic might have an artificially lower score than its true cultural standing. Another limitation: the Tomatometer measures consensus, not intensity of praise.

A film with a 91% score might have mostly 7.5/10 reviews plus some 10/10 reviews, or it might have nearly universal 9/10 reviews. The average rating of 8.5/10 suggests the latter, but the percentage alone doesn’t convey this distinction.

For There Will Be Blood, the high average indicates critics weren’t just approving the film—they were actively celebrating it. This nuance gets lost if you only glance at the percentage. Time-specific cultural context also affects interpretation.

There Will Be Blood arrived in 2007 during a particular moment in American cinema, with specific critical conversations around ambitious filmmaking and performance art. Viewing the film now, nearly two decades later, involves different context.

Some critics in 2007 praised the film’s boldness in resisting commercial convention; contemporary audiences might take that artistic ambition as a given. The score remains frozen in 2007, even though the film’s significance might be understood differently now.

The Limitations of Rotten Tomatoes Scores for Cult and Challenging Films

Daniel Day-Lewis and Critical Recognition of There Will Be Blood

Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance as Daniel Plainview stands as one of the most celebrated elements driving the film’s critical score. Critics frequently singled out his ability to convey the character’s psychological transformation and spiritual emptiness without relying on conventional emoting.

The role required embodying a man whose ambitions calcify into something empty and destructive, a trajectory that Day-Lewis mapped with extraordinary precision.

This performance aspect likely elevated the overall critical response beyond what the narrative alone might have achieved. The performance earned Day-Lewis his fourth Academy Award nomination, though he didn’t win that year (competing against Sean Penn for Milk). This external validation from the broader film industry confirms what Rotten Tomatoes critics registered independently.

Awards and critical consensus aligned in recognizing the work as exceptional, which is relatively rare for unconventional performances in non-conventional films.

The Enduring Significance of There Will Be Blood’s Critical Legacy

Nearly two decades after its release, There Will Be Blood maintains its position as one of the most respected films of the 21st century. Its 91% Rotten Tomatoes score reflects not just initial reception but sustained critical reappraisal through the years.

The film appears on numerous critics’ lists of the decade’s best work, and continues to generate scholarly discussion.

This durability matters because it suggests the film’s critical standing isn’t based on novelty but on genuine artistic achievement that withstands repeated viewing and analysis. Looking forward, There Will Be Blood’s score likely will remain stable or potentially increase as retrospective criticism accumulates.

Films that receive this level of initial critical consensus and continue to hold critical respect tend to settle into the permanent cinema canon. The score serves not just as a current assessment but as a marker of the film’s position in film history—a work that contemporaries and subsequent critics agree deserves serious attention.

Conclusion

There Will Be Blood earns a Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Tomatometer score of 91% from 245 professional reviews, alongside an 86% Audience Score. These numbers reflect genuine critical consensus that Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film succeeds as both an artistic achievement and audience experience.

The average critic rating of 8.5/10 indicates this was enthusiastic appreciation, not mere approval.

For anyone considering the film, these scores provide strong evidence that the work repays serious attention, though the demanding length and philosophical depth mean the viewing experience will vary significantly based on individual taste. When using Rotten Tomatoes scores to decide whether to watch, remember that the percentages measure consensus, not personal fit.

Read actual reviews to understand what critics and audiences found rewarding, and consider whether the film’s known strengths—ambitious direction, transformative performance, intellectual weight—align with what you seek in cinema. There Will Be Blood’s sustained critical standing nearly 20 years after release confirms that its initial acclaim reflected genuine artistic merit rather than temporary enthusiasm.

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