Yes — real TMDB user movie ratings figures from TMDB (The Movie Database)'s own public API.

No. This is a fully key-less public API.

How often does it update?

The pipeline re-reads the dataset periodically, on whatever schedule it changes.

Yes — free, no download, in your browser.

Is the rating from critics?

No. It is the average of scores given by TMDB users, who are largely film fans, so it reflects audience taste rather than professional reviews.

Why do the same classics keep appearing?

They have large vote counts and consistently high averages, so they are hard to displace. Films that fall below the 200-vote floor cannot appear at all.

TMDB Top Rated Movies Screensaver

The TMDB Top Rated Movies screensaver ranks real TMDB user movie ratings. It is free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.

How the TMDB Top Rated Movies screensaver works

The saver reads real TMDB user movie ratings data from TMDB (The Movie Database)'s own key-less public API.

Rows are ranked by their real latest reported average rating.

The pipeline refreshes periodically as the underlying dataset changes.

No key is required for this key-less public endpoint.

How TMDB ratings are produced

TMDB, The Movie Database, is a community-built catalogue of films and television, and the same database feeds many third-party apps. Unlike critic-aggregation sites, its headline score is a user rating, averaged across the people who have voted on TMDB.

TMDB's documentation describes the top-rated endpoint as a list of movies ordered by rating, and says it is really a discover call behind the scenes. The equivalent query sorts by average vote, high to low, and requires at least 200 votes, which keeps tiny samples from reaching the top. It also excludes adult titles, video releases and the documentary and TV movie genres.

Each film carries both an average and a vote count, and the two together matter. Even with a vote floor, a list like this tends to favour films that attract devoted fans, because enthusiasts are the people who bother to rate. It measures the opinion of TMDB's voters, not critical consensus or box office, and averages shift as new votes arrive, so positions near the top can swap between refreshes.

A worked example

A real entry's most recent reported average rating is ranked against the real others, with bars easing into place as the board loads.

Settings & tips

Ratings are real TMDB user scores out of 10.
Accent recolours the bars and header text.
TMDB is a large, community-built movie and TV database.

Frequently asked questions

Is this real data?: Yes — real TMDB user movie ratings figures from TMDB (The Movie Database)'s own public API.
Is a key needed?: No. This is a fully key-less public API.
How often does it update?: The pipeline re-reads the dataset periodically, on whatever schedule it changes.
Is it free?: Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
Is the rating from critics?: No. It is the average of scores given by TMDB users, who are largely film fans, so it reflects audience taste rather than professional reviews.
Why do the same classics keep appearing?: They have large vote counts and consistently high averages, so they are hard to displace. Films that fall below the 200-vote floor cannot appear at all.

← All Awards & Culture screensavers