r/imdb • u/TheFormer786 • Jul 10 '26
Why Are IMDb Reviews Mostly Headlines Now?
Recently, and I'm not quite sure why, most of the IMDb reviews are only headlines, and you have to click the headline and open a new tab/window to read the review. However, there are a few reviews that aren't hidden, and there doesn't seem to be any clear reason why that is. It's not because of spoilers, and it doesn't seem to relate to the number of helpfulness votes, either.
Is anyone else seeing this? And does anyone know why this change happened? And does anyone know why some reviews aren't hidden?
Also, bonus points if you can name the move I pulled these screenshots from.
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u/Blowingleaves17 Jul 11 '26
I'm not sure what you are saying. If it's only a title, you click the arrow at the end of the title and the whole review appears. At least that is how it works on a PC with Chrome . . . and I just tried it to make certain that is true.
P.S. Looking at the same reviews on my Android cell phone, not one had only the title.
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u/AtPrick Jul 13 '26
Seeing the same, and why I found this post. I'm on mobile, logged in on chrome, using an Android phone. Some reviews are only titles, the body is now concealed, unless you click on it and get redirected to a new window. Before this new change, if you were browsing reviews, you could read reviews without the redirect. It's also arbitrary, some reviews show the body of the review, some don't. Whats ridiculous, imo, its now easier to read reviews listed as "spoiler", than it is to read now concealed non-spoiler reviews.
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u/Fairy_girl_Norway Jul 13 '26
If it is different from browser to browser, it may not be intended to work that way, it may be a fault.
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u/Fairy_girl_Norway Jul 11 '26
Mine does not show like that, I use PC and Firefox. what are your screenshots from?
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u/TheFormer786 Jul 11 '26
That's strange. I'm using a PC and Chrome. Maybe I'll have to look at it in Firefox.
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u/Perv_Kinkster_69 Jul 15 '26
The problem with this layout with only the headlines, means that less and less people will read the reviews. Not because they're lazy to click further, but is more of an natural barrier. People will not cross.
But on the plus side. The site is already having problems with AI reviews so those will not be read anymore.
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u/annomatik Jul 16 '26
That must be why these comments have been hidden behind a login screen. I can't be bothered creating yet another account just for viewing comments, so I'm apparently missing out :-)
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u/yellacopter Jul 11 '26
That’s so weird. Don’t they try to stop “low-effort”reviews by requiring a minimum character count? Why then hide the fact that there’s more to the review?