Studios use review embargoes to control when critics can share their opinions on a new movie, even if those opinions end up being mixed. This lets them time bad or lukewarm feedback to avoid hurting ticket sales right before opening weekend.
A review embargo is a simple agreement where studios show the film to critics early but set a strict date and time for reviews to go public. For example, Sony held reviews for The Emoji Movie until midday Thursday before its release, and it still earned 24 million dollars on opening despite a 9 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotten_Tomatoes). The main goal is to protect the hype built from trailers and ads. If early reviews are harsh, they could scare off audiences and cut into pre-sales or that crucial first weekend box office, which often decides if a film succeeds.
When reactions look mixed, studios get nervous. They know sites like Rotten Tomatoes aggregate scores into easy percentages that fans check before buying tickets. Films like Wonder Woman got 92 percent and crushed expectations with over 100 million dollars, while low scores tanked others (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotten_Tomatoes). So they push the embargo lift to just hours before premiere, like with Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, where critics saw it Wednesday night but could not post until credits rolled Friday (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMfMT8jYnbg). Critics even say this timing signals studio doubt, but it still works to limit damage.
Timing acts like a signal too. A late embargo, say two days before a December 12 opening, tells insiders the studio does not see it as an awards contender and wants to shield box office from soft reviews (https://toddmthatcher.com/2025/12/10/oscar-predictions-ella-mccay/). For Wicked: For Good, mixed reviews hit after embargo lift with a 60 on Metacritic, yet it still eyes 130 million dollars opening thanks to fan pre-sales (https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2025/11/18/wicked-for-good-reviews). Studios bet fans will show up anyway, while delaying critic noise keeps casual viewers from bailing.
This tactic has risks. Critics hate it and sometimes call out studios publicly. It can also make people think the movie stinks just from the delay. Still, for big releases, embargoes manage expectations and hype flow, buying time until word-of-mouth kicks in (https://www.imdb.com/news/ni61753642/).
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotten_Tomatoes
https://www.imdb.com/news/ni61753642/
https://toddmthatcher.com/2025/12/10/oscar-predictions-ella-mccay/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMfMT8jYnbg
https://jaleopr.com/blog/embargo-good-idea-indie-game/
https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2025/11/18/wicked-for-good-reviews
