Letterboxd's most eager reviewers are changing cinema etiquette: I was excited to pull out my phone'

"I consider it one of life's little luxuries: for at least an hour and 45 minutes, I am entirely unreachable. I keep my phone off for the duration of the credits, too. It feels decadent to stay put as my fellow moviegoers slowly filter out, illuminated only by rolling text. And, lately, the glow of the Letterboxd app. Over 26 million people use Letterboxd, a movie-cataloguing app. Like the Criterion Collection or A24, it has become industry shorthand for a certain type of tastemaker who"

"hypes new releases and delights in rediscovering old classics. Users rate and review movies, and the funniest or most illuminating critiques rise to the top of the page, incentivizing cinephiles to put in some effort. If I don't get my thoughts out quickly once the movie ends, my reviews are much less coherent and articulate Josh Stern On a recent trip to the movies, the credits had barely started before the man in front of me began typing his review. A few seats over, a"

Some moviegoers turn their phones completely off during films, valuing an hour and 45 minutes of total unreachability and even during credits. Staying seated through credits creates a decadent, solitary moment interrupted only by rolling text or by others using the Letterboxd app. Letterboxd has over 26 million users and functions as a movie-cataloguing platform that elevates meticulous reviews and spotlights tastemakers who hype new releases and rediscover classics. The app rewards clear, immediate critiques, prompting users to write reviews from their seats. Filmmakers’ advice to record ideas immediately reinforces the impulse to jot impressions before they fade.

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